Nine-Year Point Guard Signs with the Knicks

Former first-round pick, Cameron Payne, has signed with the New York Knicks on a one-year deal worth $3.1 million. Payne has been around the league for nine seasons and has already played on six different teams. Despite him being shipped to all sorts of situations already in his career, he can still make a sizable impact coming off the bench. Let’s take a look at his career so far.

Since being drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, Payne has become a more efficient shooter and ball distributor throughout his career. In the first four years in the league, Payne's three-point percentage was about 33%, but since then that percentage has grown to a staggering 41% over the past five years. Additionally, his assist totals on average per game have doubled from earlier in his career from about two per game to on average four a game. His most notable career accomplishment thus far is scoring over 200 points in the postseason for the Suns in 2021, helping them be two games away from being NBA Champions.

His dramatic increase in shooting efficiency and assist totals make him an ideal point guard with the second team. If he can get about 20 minutes a game he should be able to put up about nine points, four assists, and two rebounds a game which is solid production from a role player. Although he might not have starting potential in this league, that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t meaningfully contribute as a team’s sixth or seventh-best player. There is no doubt he can be a helpful bench piece in New York this coming season.