Cameron Payne

Cameron Payne (born August 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Murray State.

Cameron Payne

Payne with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017
No. 15 – Phoenix Suns
Position	Point guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	August 8, 1994 Bartlett, Tennessee
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school	Lausanne Collegiate School (Memphis, Tennessee)
College	Murray State (2013–2015)
NBA draft	2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder
Playing career	2015–present
Career history
2015–2017	Oklahoma City Thunder
2015; 2017	→Oklahoma City Blue
2017–2019	Chicago Bulls
2017–2018	→Windy City Bulls
2019	Cleveland Cavaliers
2019–2020	Shanxi Loongs
2020	Texas Legends
2020–present	Phoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
OVC Player of the Year (2015) Lute Olson Award (2015) 2× First-team All-OVC (2014, 2015) OVC Freshman of the Year (2014)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Payne attended Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew from 5'5' as a freshman to 6'0 as a senior. Despite leading Lausanne Collegiate to a 2013 Division II state title in Tennessee, Payne was not a heavily scouted player by collegiate programs. He was considered to be a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and was not ranked in the top 100 prospects. He was recruited by William Small to play college basketball at Murray State, choosing the Racers over a few other schools. Payne then went from a little-known college recruit to a potential NBA lottery pick.

College career

As a freshman, Payne averaged 16.8 points, 5.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.[1][2] He was forced to start at point guard as a freshman due to an injury to Zay Jackson, and began his collegiate career registering 21 points, five boards and four assists in the team's opener at Valparaiso.[2] Payne earned first-team All-OVC honors and was named freshman of the year by the conference.[3] As a sophomore, he was the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after he averaged 20.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.[4] Payne opted to declare for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.[3]

Professional career

2015–16 season

During workouts prior to the NBA draft, Payne broke the ring finger on his non-shooting hand. The injury did not require surgery.[3] On June 25, 2015 Payne was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.[5] On July 10, 2015, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Thunder.[6] He made his debut for the Thunder on November 1 in a 117–93 win over the Denver Nuggets, recording three assists in four minutes.[7] On December 5, he was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's D-League affiliate.[8] He was recalled on December 6,[9] reassigned on December 15,[10] and recalled again on December 16.[11] On December 29, he had a 16-point effort in a 131–123 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In the Thunder's regular season finale on April 12, 2016, Payne recorded career highs of 17 points and seven assists in a 102–98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[12]

2016–17 season

On July 25, 2016, Payne underwent a successful procedure to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot.[13] He recovered quickly and was cleared to practice when training camp opened. He went through full contact during the Thunder's first two days of practice,[14] but on September 27, he suffered an acute fracture to his fifth metatarsal in the team's Blue-White Scrimmage.[15] As a result, he missed the first two months of the 2016–17 season. After spending six days with the Oklahoma City Blue in early January,[16][17] Payne joined the Thunder playing group for the first time in 2016–17 on January 7.[18] He subsequently made his season debut that night, scoring eight points in 13 minutes against the Denver Nuggets.[19] On February 9, 2017, he scored a season-high 15 points in a 118–109 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.[20]

Chicago Bulls (2017–2019)

On February 23, 2017, Payne was traded, along with Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow, to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round draft pick.[21] During the 2016–17 season, Payne had multiple assignments with the Windy City Bulls, the Bulls' D-League affiliate.[22]

On September 8, 2017, Payne was ruled out for three to four months after undergoing surgery on his right foot two days prior. He was known as the tank commander.[23] He made his season debut for the Bulls on February 22, 2018 in a 116–115 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[24] On March 17, 2018, Payne recorded his first professional double-double in his NBA career, putting up 13 points and a career-high 10 assists in a 114–109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[25] On March 23, 2018, he had a career-high 17 points and six assists in a 118–105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[26]

On October 24, 2018, Payne scored all of his career-high 21 points in the second half of the Bulls' 112–110 win over the Charlotte Hornets, going 7 for 11 on 3-pointers.[27] On January 3, 2019, he was waived by the Bulls.[28]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019)

On January 6, 2019, Payne signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[29] On January 16, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Cavaliers.[30] He parted ways with the Cavaliers following the expiration of his second 10-day contract.[31]

Toronto Raptors (2019)

On July 25, 2019, Payne signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors.[32] On October 8, 2019 Payne played for 12 minutes against the Houston Rockets in a preseason game and tallied 4 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound. On October 19, 2019, the Raptors released Payne.[33]

Shanxi Loongs (2019–2020)

On November 12, 2019, Payne was reported to join the Shanxi Loongs.[34] He played in two games for the team, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 4.5 steals per contest. On January 2, 2020, Payne was replaced.[35]

Texas Legends (2020)

On January 25, 2020, the Texas Legends announced that they had acquired Payne.[36]

During the week of March 3, 2020, Payne was named the NBA G-League Player of the Week, averaging 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while leading the Legends to a perfect 3-0 record for the week.[37]

Phoenix Suns (2020–present)

On June 30, 2020, Payne agreed to a two-season deal with the Phoenix Suns.[38] He made his debut on July 31 in the 2020 NBA Bubble, where he recorded 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on a plus-minus of +21 in a 125–112 win over the Washington Wizards.[39] On August 7, 2020, Payne recorded a season-high 15 points in a 114–99 win over the Indiana Pacers.[40] He later repeated his season-high in a blowout 128–102 win over the Dallas Mavericks, helping the team be undefeated in all eight games the Suns played in the bubble while coming off the bench and having his highest scoring and rebounding season averages in the NBA yet.[41]

After his successful time in the bubble, Payne had his second season option picked up on November 18, 2020.[42] In his second season with Phoenix, Payne continued the successful production he had in the 2020 bubble off the bench. On January 6, 2021, he tied his career-high of 10 assists in 16 minutes of play in a 123–115 win over the Toronto Raptors.[43]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2015–16	Oklahoma City	57	1	12.2	.410	.324	.792	1.5	1.9	.6	.1	5.0
2016–17	Oklahoma City	20	0	16.0	.331	.308	1.000	1.6	2.0	.5	.3	5.3
2016–17	Chicago	11	0	12.9	.333	.324	.250	1.5	1.4	.4	.0	4.9
2017–18	Chicago	25	14	23.3	.405	.385	.750	2.8	4.5	1.0	.4	8.8
2018–19	Chicago	31	12	17.3	.411	.271	.880	1.7	2.7	.6	.2	5.7
2018–19	Cleveland	9	1	19.6	.491	.360	.688	2.1	2.6	.9	.3	8.2
2019–20	Phoenix	8	0	22.9	.485	.517	.857	3.9	3.0	1.0	.3	10.9
Career		161	28	16.4	.403	.344	.781	1.9	2.5	.7	.2	6.2

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2016	Oklahoma City	10	0	6.4	.269	.200	.500	.4	.8	.2	.2	1.8
2017	Chicago	1	0	4.0	.500	1.000	.000	1.0	.0	.0	.0	3.0
Career		11	0	6.2	.286	.273	.500	.5	.7	.2	.2	1.9

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2013–14	Murray State	34	34	32.7	.404	.341	.774	3.6	5.4	1.7	.6	16.8
2014–15	Murray State	35	35	32.2	.456	.377	.787	3.7	6.0	1.9	.5	20.2
Career		69	69	32.4	.432	.359	.781	3.7	5.7	1.8	.5	18.5

References

1. Grant, Michael (November 7, 2014). "Payne hopes to copy Canaan's success at Murray". Courier-Journal.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
2. Dauster, Rob (October 24, 2014). "Cameron Payne didn't expect to fill Isaiah Canaan's void at Murray State, but he did". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
3. Spears, Marc (June 21, 2015). "How Cameron Payne went from little-known college recruit to potential NBA lottery pick". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
4. Hurcomb, Michael (March 3, 2015). "Sophomore PG Cameron Payne takes home Ohio Valley POY honors". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
5. "Thunder Selects Cameron Payne and Dakari Johnson in the 2015 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
6. "Thunder Signs Cameron Payne". NBA.com. July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
7. "Thunder beat Nuggets 117-93". NBA.com. November 1, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
8. "Cameron Payne Assigned to Oklahoma City Blue". NBA.com. December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
9. "Huestis, McGary and Payne Recalled From Oklahoma City Blue". NBA.com. December 6, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
10. "Josh Huestis and Cameron Payne Assigned to Oklahoma City Blue". NBA.com. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
11. "Huestis and Payne Recalled From Oklahoma City Blue". NBA.com. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
12. "Cameron Payne 2015-16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
13. "Cameron Payne Injury Update". NBA.com. July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
14. Horne, Erik (September 25, 2016). "Cameron Payne on track to play in Thunder scrimmage on Tuesday". NewsOK.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
15. "Cameron Payne Injury Update". NBA.com. September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
16. "Cameron Payne Assigned to Oklahoma City Blue". NBA.com. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
17. "Cameron Payne Recalled from Oklahoma City Blue". NBA.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
18. "Thunder's Cameron Payne to make season debut vs. Nuggets". NBA.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
19. "Westbrook's 17th triple-double lifts Thunder past Nuggets". ESPN.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
20. "Westbrook's 29 points, triple-double lead Thunder past Cavs". ESPN.com. February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
21. "Bulls acquire Payne, Morrow, and Lauvergne from Thunder". NBA.com. February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
22. "2016-17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
23. "CAMERON PAYNE INJURY UPDATE". NBA.com. September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
24. "Simmons' late FTs gives 76ers 116-115 win over Bulls". ESPN.com. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
25. Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls Box Score, March 17, 2018 | Basketball-Reference.com
26. "Bucks overcome sluggish start to beat Bulls 118-105". ESPN.com. March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
27. Associated Press (October 24, 2018). "Zach LaVine lifts Bulls past Hornets with 2 late free throws". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 24, 2018.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
28. "CHICAGO COMPLETES TRADE WITH MEMPHIS". NBA.com. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
29. "Cavaliers Sign Cameron Payne". NBA.com. January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
30. "Cavaliers Sign Cameron Payne to Second 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 16, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
31. Fedor, Chris (January 25, 2019). "Cleveland Cavaliers don't sign Cameron Payne to rest-of-season deal". cleveland.com. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
32. "Raptors sign Payne". NBA.com. July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
33. https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/basketball/news/cameron-payne-waived-by-raptors/
34. "Shanxi signing Cameron Payne". sportando.basketball. November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
35. "Shanxi, Zhejiang revamp CBA rosters". xinhuanet.com. January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
36. "Legends Acquire Cameron Payne". NBA.com. January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
37. https://texas.gleague.nba.com/news/cameron-payne-named-nba-g-league-player-of-the-week/
38. "Suns sign Cameron Payne". NBA.com. June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
39. "Booker scores 27 points, Suns beat Wizards 125-112 in return". NBA.com. July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
40. "Suns win 4th straight bubble game, top Pacers 114-99". NBA.com. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
41. "Suns top Mavs to finish 8-0 in bubble, but fail to advance". NBA.com. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
42. Suns Pick Up Option On Cameron Payne
43. Brandt, David (January 6, 2021). "Booker, Suns Get Big Win Over Struggling Raptors (Suns drain 21 3-pointers, beat Raptors 123-115)". NBA.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com or Basketball-Reference.com
• Murray State Racers bio