The Oklahoma City Thunder have selected Murray State point guard Cameron Payne with the 14th overall pick in the NBA Draft Thursday. Payne was the most popular choice for the Thunder in most mock drafts and now joins a Thunder team poised to rebound from an injury riddled 2014-15 season.
Payne is a scoring point guard. Last season, he averaged 20.3 points per game while chipping in six assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He shot 44.9 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.
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Payne will come in and be instant offense off the bench. He can also play alongside Russell Westbrook, which could take pressure off the young guard and allow him to create off of Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Scoring point guards picked in the lottery can often be inefficient and struggle taking on the load that is often dumped on them. It won’t be the case for Payne because he will be surrounded by elite talent.
Payne was an average defender in college, but his 6’7” wingspan gives Payne a promising defensive future.
I like the pick. It is certainly safe and getting a scoring guard behind was something the Thunder needed upon losing Reggie Jackson (DJ Augustin is not the long-term answer). Payne can ease his way into the Thunder rotation with little pressure. He is from a mid-major and will probably come with the chip on his shoulder that those guards often have. The acquisition of Payne is not going to push the Thunder over the edge to NBA champions, but he can certainly win them a playoff game or two. He is talented and the Thunder got better today.
Grade: B+
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