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Oklahoma City Thunder to gain by playing Cameron Payne

By Tony Loedi

Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cameron Payne (Murray State) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number fourteen overall pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Cameron Payne (Murray State) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number fourteen overall pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oklahoma City Thunder go into next season filled with question marks. The most important of those revolve around Kevin Durant‘s health and contract status but there are many other queries surrounding this team.

One I’m rather intrigued about is how new head coach Billy Donovan plans to use first-round draft pick Cameron Payne, who just might be the most talented player the organization has drafted since James Harden.

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Payne has the potential to be a star. Very similar to a Mike Conley or a Jeff Teague, he’s a great facilitator of an offense and loves to get his teammates involved — a true point guard. He was also an above-average 3-point shooter in college, which should transition into the NBA.

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On the offensive end Payne looks to be a perfect fit for this Thunder team and should be able to contribute straight away. At the very least, OKC’s second unit now looks mighty dangerous and Thunder fans can start to get excited about what should be a lethal Cameron Payne-Enes Kanter pick-and-roll.

However as with most rookies, the step up to NBA-level defense will be testing, but Payne has the all tools needed to succeed. If he can show Billy Donovan enough on the defensive end, it will go a long way in helping him stay on the court.

The problem for Cameron Payne, however, is that the Thunder have a superstar in Russell Westbrook and a solid backup in D.J Augustin at the 1 spot. His best chance to find minutes might be in small-ball, two point-guard lineups, either playing alongside Westbrook or Augustin.

However, this would result in less playing time for the stacked shooting guard brigade of Anthony Morrow, Dion Waiters and Andre Roberson. There simply aren’t enough minutes to go around; this Thunder team is deep.

Check out the depth chart:

C – Kanter, Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka
PF – Ibaka, Kevin Durant, Mitch McGary
SF – Durant, Anthony Morrow, Kyle Singler
SG – Roberson, Waiters, Morrow
PG – Westbrook, Augustin, Payne

Getting on the floor won’t be easy, buts it’s in the interest of the organization to develop a talent like Payne. One thing in his favor is Augustin is on an expiring contract. If Payne shows promise in his rookie year, there won’t be a need for the Thunder to re-sign D.J.

Throw in the possibility of Waiters being traded in a salary dump and suddenly Cameron Payne has a real chance to get some quality minutes in his rookie year.

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    • It’s no secret that in the latter part of the Scott Brooks era, the younger players in the team struggled to find minutes. Early in his tenure Brooks was widely praised for nurturing the talents of Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka but by the end, the lack of development by the likes of Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones III probably played a part in his demise.

    It’s easy to criticize Brooks on the way he handled the Thunder youth, but you can understand his thought process — play the lineup that gives us the best chance to win now, similar to what Tom Thibodeau was doing in Chicago. It makes sense in theory, but does winning an extra three or four games for the season justify hindering a player’s growth or diminishing their trade value?

    Remember this is a team that only received two second-round picks for Lamb and Jones III, a mediocre return for two very talented players.

    The fact is teams with championship windows wide open will focus more on today than tomorrow and player development can sometimes take a back seat. Hopefully for Cameron Payne, that won’t be the case. The Thunder coaching staff need to find a way to give him at least 10-15 minutes a night during the regular season.

    Whether that means less playing time for Westbrook and Augustin or maybe even trading Waiters, then so be it. Championship-caliber teams don’t get too many lottery picks; the Thunder have got to make the most of this one.

    Next: 25 Best Players to Play for the Oklahoma City Thunder

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