Breaking down Cameron Payne’s impact since joining the lineup
By Tony Heim
Cameron Payne has played three games for the OKC Thunder this season. The Thunder happen to be 3-0 in those games. Coincidence? I think not…
It’s completely asinine to think the Thunder would not have won the last three games without Cameron Payne. They demolished the Nuggets and Bulls, than slowly sucked the life out of Memphis on Wednesday.
So what exactly is CamPayne (because that flows way too perfectly to separate them) doing to aid in the efforts? His numbers aren’t that great-3.3 ppg, 1.7 apg, 2 rpg-and he’s looked rusty, especially against the Grizzlies. No, CamPayne’s influence has everything to do with the parts of the game that can’t be quantified.
Look at the second-unit offense run by Semaj Christon.
An NBA point guard HAS to be able to break down his defender and create for his teammates. With Christon, the bench didn’t have a reliable NBA-level point. They relied on sparingly-used off ball movement to try and create looks. But with nobody comfortable enough to even dribble, it made scoring difficult.
But with Payne? They have a player who literally always looks for the open man.
CamPayne has a quality Christon lacked: the ability to penetrate the defense while maintaining where his teammates are and who might be open. And he does it in transition too. Watch how Payne has his eyes on Joffrey Lauvergne the entire possession, but senses that Enes Kanter will eventually find an open lane.
The Thunder’s bench has been atrocious this season. When Russell Westbrook is on the court, the Thunder outscore teams by 5.6 points per 48 minutes. When he’s off, they get outscored by 3.6 points.
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But with CamPayne we’ve seen a bench unit that’s pushed to extend leads. Against the Bulls the Payne-led second unit started the second quarter with a 13-2. Minus the first game against the Nuggets, the bench has posted positive +/- numbers as well.
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As Payne continues to readjust himself to live action, his numbers are going to improve. His shot is falling short, hence the 4-13 shooting in his first three games. On the bright side, he’s hit 2-5 from deep. That may be an even bigger addition than his playmaking ability.
Teams could sag off Christon knowing that the rookie wasn’t a legit threat from deep. It allowed team’s to play tighter on Alex Abrines and made doubling down on Kanter an easier solution. But with Payne, it provides four perimeter threats around Kanter. Abrines, Payne, Lauvergne and Jerami Grant are all shooting at least 35% from three this season.
It’s only been three games, but the addition of CamPayne to the Thunder’s second-unit has been a godsend. Every player is 25 or younger, so it’s feasible that they grow together to become a dominant unit over the next couple of years.
That’s what makes me the most excited.