This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Taylorsville

The upgraded gym looked different to Gary Payton II in his return to Salt Lake Community College. His game? That's the same.

Payton's statistics, from SLCC to Oregon State to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League, are strikingly similar.

Logically, to reach the NBA — as Payton nearly did with Houston in October, and remains positioned to do — a player should be a huge scorer in junior college and do almost as much offensively in Division I basketball. Not this guy. His all-around game as a 6-foot-3 guard keeps translating almost identically to different levels.

Sophomore season with SLCC: 14.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists.

Two years with Oregon State: 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists.

Fifteen games with the Vipers: 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists.

No wonder SLCC coach Todd Phillips watched Friday's game vs. the Salt Lake City Stars and quickly determined, "He plays the same way."

Payton posted 10 rebounds, six points, four assists and three steals in RGV's 87-75 victory, while playing with former Jazz forward Chris Johnson and against the Jazz's three second-round draft picks of 2016: Joel Bolomboy, Marcus Paige and Tyrone Wallace. In a 103-95 loss Saturday, Payton had 17 points and nine rebounds (Bolomboy led the Stars with 28 points and 19 boards).

Payton's scoring average is slightly skewed by a 51-point effort vs. Los Angeles earlier this month. Told that picturing him taking 29 shots (he made 20) in a game is difficult, he smiled and replied in agreement, "Right?"

He explained, "I just found a rhythm, kept attacking, my teammates kept finding me," he said. "Since then, teams have been game-planning for me, so that's when I distribute, find my teammates and help them out. I just try to let the game come to me, and typically, it does."

Considering how well Payton defends as a two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and passes the ball, I'm surprised the Jazz didn't pick him over Paige or Wallace. Then again, every other NBA team overlooked him in the draft. Houston signed him and kept him through the preseason schedule, until waiving him.

That explains how the Rockets-affiliated Vipers brought him to the south Texas town of Hidalgo. His opportunity to play at SLCC this weekend required the Jazz's moving the former Boise, Idaho, franchise to the Salt Lake Valley.

So when he left the school in 2014, the odds of Payton appearing again in Bruin Arena were … "very slim," he said, completing my sentence.

"It brings back so many memories," he said. "It's crazy. Once I heard they were moving to Salt Lake, I couldn't wait to get here."

He would rather have played at Vivint Smart Home Arena, of course. Payton hopes to become the second SLCC alumnus to make the NBA, following guard Eddie Gill, who advanced to Weber State and played in 187 games for seven teams over seven seasons.

Payton arrived at SLCC four years ago as a son of player who's now in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but without many credentials of his own. "He was not heavily recruited, not a big 'get' for us," Phillips said. "But from day one, he was a much, much better player than we thought."

The SLCC staff worked with Payton to improve his shooting, while marveling about his feel for the game, efficient style and athletic ability. Watching him play was "exciting every night, because you didn't know what he was going to do," Phillips said. "There would be something that made your jaw drop, like, 'Did he just do that?'"

Another of those moments occurred Friday, when Payton came flying in and tipped in a teammate's missed free throw.

Reviewing his SLCC days, Payton said, "Coming here was just part of the journey."

His pro basketball odyssey is beginning. After this weekend's homecoming, Payton will be eager to return to Salt Lake City again — playing downtown, preferably.

Twitter: @tribkurt