OKC Thunder Draft: How Does Cameron Payne Measure Up?

By Shawn Woods | Jun 4, 2015

In this five-part post for the upcoming draft, I’ll be detailing four prospects the Oklahoma City Thunder have been rumored to be interested in, or who I feel they should have interest in. If you missed part one about the four factors as described by Dean Oliver, go read here. If you missed the breakdown of Devin Booker or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, you can read about them here and here.

According to reports, the Thunder seem to have hinted toward Cameron Payne’s camp that they would like to draft him with the 14th pick. While Payne had a successful college career, there are worries that come with him.

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Payne’s inability to finish at the rim against Ohio Valley Conference opponents is concerning. His small frame suggests that there may not be much room to increase his strength which he’ll need to finish against NBA competition. Payne often resorts to floaters and finesse shots, most of which he isn’t very efficient with.

At only .315 free throw attempts per field goal attempt, Payne didn’t show the ability to get to the free throw line against lesser competition despite having a usage percentage of 31.5. Among players with a usage percentage greater than 28 percent, Payne ranked 64th in the NCAA last season averaging less than five free throw attempts per game last season.

Watching Payne on defense is akin to watching defense at your local YMCA. He will get his hands in the passing lane every once in a while, but he mostly ball watches and is complacent on defense. Draft Express seems to have a warning as they post this message during the video:

Payne could carry on the Thunder tradition of guards that may have a strong reputation for playing defense but one that never comes to fruition (Hello, Russ and Dion).

Payne did show some strengths at the college level. While he’s small for an NBA guard, he measured at a 6’7″ wingspan and only 6.3 percent body fat.

Payne also displayed his ability to score shooting almost 38 percent from three and an even more impressive 51 percent from inside the arc. This translates to a 57 percent true shooting percentage – one of the highest for a player that is used as much as he was.

Payne’s elite skill in college was his passing ability. Payne was the only player in the NCAA last season to post an assist percentage greater than 39 percent and a turnover percentage less than 13 percent. His ability to make plays in transition without turning it over could help create easier shots for Westbrook and Durant – something Billy Donovan may be interested in.

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Payne’s fatal flaw is that his entire skill set depends on him being the primary ball-handler for a team much like he was at Murray State. While he may get the opportunity for some team in the future, a team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook doesn’t have the extra 15 minutes per game of ball domination that Payne would require. Even if (and take a deep breath) Durant was to leave Oklahoma City next summer, Westbrook is signed on for another year at minimum.

Ultimately, I would be very surprised to see Sam Presti draft a player like Cameron Payne to be the team’s third point guard. Last year taught us that there isn’t a position on the team that is too deep, but a worthwhile backup for Durant (or one that could possibly play alongside him) seems to be the greatest position of need.

Cameron Payne is this season’s Damian Lillard. He’s from a small school where he was able to shine, but he seems to possess the defensive ability of Lillard without any of the offensive benefits.

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