Phoenix Suns G Cameron Payne, 2015 Scouting Report: DraftNasty Throwback

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Number: 1
Sport: Basketball
Playable Positions (Basketball): PG, SG

School: Murray State
Conference: FCS, Div II, Div III
Height: 6’1 1/2″
Weight: 183
Draft Year: 2015

What makes this player NASTY…..(Strengths): Leader. Character player with a high basketball IQ. Communicates and encourages teammates. Left-handed player with smooth style. Ran a motion offense that relied on his eyes and vision. Splits double teams, draws help and makes dime passes on the move. Cross court chest passes have steam behind them. Keeps head on a swivel as a dribbler in the open floor. Exhibits a soft pull-up jumper in transition off the high ball screens. Hangs in traffic and shows body control in mid-air. Mobile on back screens and finds his teammates off the catch. Mid-range game includes running floaters. Smooth on-court lane filler. Can catch-and-shoot when working off the ball. Range extends to 25-28 feet. Gets to the foul line. Battles with big men down low when he has to switch (Belmont í15). Shuffles and slides his feet on defensive end. Corrals a number oflong rebounds.

Weaknesses: He had 14 games with four or more fouls and fouled out of three games as a freshman. Fouled out of the team’s second-round NIT game as a sophomore; when he also posted 12 games with four or more turnovers. Turned the ball over eight times vs. Illinois State in December 2014. 8 1/2″ hands. Inconsistent when it comes to hustling back in transition defense. Doesn’t always put enough air on some of his alley-oop passes.

Other Notes:

Attended Lausanne College (Tenn.) and was named the Class 2A Mr. Basketball for Tennessee
2013-14: 32.6 MPG, 16.8 PPG, 40.4% FG, 34.1% 3-PT, 77.4% FT, 3.6 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.6 BPG, 1.8 SPG, 3.2 TPG
21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals vs. Eastern Kentucky on 1/29/15
2014-15: 32.2 MPG, 20.2 PPG, 45.6% FG, 37.7% 3-PT, 78.7% FT, 3.7 RPG, 6 APG, 0.5 BPG, 1.9 SPG, 2.5 TPG
2015 NBA Combine measurements: 6.3% body fat, 8 1/2″ hand length, 8 1/4″ hand width, 6’1″ height w/o shoes, 8’1 1/2″ standing reach, 6’7 1/4″ wingspan
2015 NBA Combine speed & agility: 10.89 lane agility, 2.93 NBA shuttle, 3.28 3/4-court sprint, 30″ standing VJ, 35″ max VJ

Time to get NASTY….Our Summary: Payne plays a little bit upright on the defensive end but this is an area he should improve in the NBA. What is most exciting about his style of play is the vision he displayed as a passer. Consistently keeping his head on a swivel, he seemed to be the draft’s second-best passer to Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell in the open floor. The difference? He’s simply not as big, and this could be what causes him to slide some in the first round. Turnovers and fouls also tend to hush the excitement surrounding the game of a player with a mid-range game, range, and enough body control to handle physical play.

Projection: 1st Round