With their first-round selection in the NBA Draft on Thursday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected guard Cameron Payne. Payne will be thrown into a team that hopes to go right back to contending for an NBA title this coming season.
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Oklahoma City drafted Cameron Payne with the 14th overall pick. He was raised in a city where hoops is heaven, though the hometown school – the University of Memphis – gave him small more than a mild sniff, and a late one at that. The 6-foot-2 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year works on or off the ball, fitting as a combo guard in the NBA if needed. It’s been rumored that Thunder general manager and executive vice president Sam Presti has long had a firm eye on Payne.
“It’s going to be a great time for me, ” Payne said. “I think that as the days turn into weeks and we get toward the day of the draft, I think there is going to be an increased interest in the middle of the draft in particular”.
At season’s end, Payne received recognition as an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America and was the Lute Olson National Player of the Year. At The Cage, just across the street from Devon Tower and a block away from where he’ll be playing home games next season, Payne helped show some Oklahoma City youth proper shooting form and taught them perhaps the most important lesson that he’s used in his career: to believe in themselves. “That was really encouraging for us”.
He scored 707 points to become the second player at Murray State to reach 700. Mid-major guards have had a lot of success in recent years-think Damian Lillard and Elfrid Payton-and Payne has the potential to join that list. “Dion Waiters, Augustin, I can name all of them”.
Cameron Payne can’t wait to challenge Russell Westbrook. He’d also like to pick up some tips on the art of the mid-range jumper from Westbrook.
That said, Payne is definitely a great prize, and it could easily be said that he has been one of the few steals in this years draft so far. “I’ll keep it tuned in until he gets drafted”.
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Payne may already share a special bond with new thunder head coach Billy Donovan. “Payne was it. Dakari Johnson (No. 48) has the ability to develop into a solid NBA big man, and he’s super underrated because he never fully blossomed while at Kentucky“.
