Murray State point guard Cameron Payne has seen his draft stock skyrocket over the past few months, and the sophomore is now getting looks from some teams in the top five. Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears reported over the weekend that Payne will work out with the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 2 pick) and New York Knicks (No. 4 pick). ESPN New York's Ian Begley said the Knicks are "serious" about considering him in the draft.
Murray State’s Cameron Payne has seen his NBA Draft stock soar
Murray State point guard Cameron Payne has seen his draft stock rise in a big way over the last few months. He’s even getting looks from the Lakers and Knicks.
Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
This came after Candace Buckner of the Indy Star reported last week that the Sacramento Kings (No. 6 pick) were going to bring in Payne for a workout. The Kings recently confirmed the news.
These teams wouldn’t waste their time working out a player they had zero intention of taking, so there must be some legitimate interest. It would be crazy for the Lakers or Knicks to take Payne in the top five, but a trade down in the lottery is always a possibility. No. 6 seems awfully high for Payne, although the Kings are known for their outside-the-box thinking, so perhaps Vivek and Co. would be willing to gamble on him there.
Even if Payne doesn’t get picked that high or go to any of these teams, the mere fact that he’s getting mentioned as a possibility is wild enough. This is a player that wasn’t really on the first-round radar at the start of 2015, but he steadily improved his stock over the course of his sophomore season and has become the apple of the eye of many since the combine.
NBA Draft
Looking back to February, Payne didn’t even show up on Chad Ford’s Mock Draft 3.0. A 25-game winning streak for Murray State started to get the point guard noticed, and by the end of March, Ford moved him into his top 30 and the chatter began about him being the third-best point guard in the draft.
Payne's stock continued to rise after a strong close to his season. When he declared for the draft in early April, Ford had him going in the 13 to 23 range. In his next mock, Ford had the youngster going to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 21.
Since then, Payne's name has only gotten hotter. He tested well at the combine in mid-May, and Ford said a few weeks ago that the buzz around the point guard was the Oklahoma City Thunder had promised to take him at No. 14. With this rumor going around, all these other teams in the lottery are starting to jump on board the Payne train. Ford currently has the point guard going to the Indiana Pacers at No. 11.
Payne's meteoric rise is reminiscent of several other mid-major point guards who became hot names leading up to their respective drafts: Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Elfrid Payton.
Lillard blew up in his final season at Weber State and starred at the combine, which helped him get picked sixth by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012. He has since become one of the better point guards in the NBA, and an all-star worthy of a max contract.
McCollum became a household name at Lehigh when he torched Duke in the NCAA Tournament in his junior season, but a broken foot suffered during his senior campaign was a setback. However, his stock went up again when he proved himself healthy after the season, and the Blazers took him at No. 10 in the 2013 draft. Injuries have again plagued him in the NBA, but he broke out in the playoffs this season.
Last year, Payton was viewed as a late first-rounder before strong workouts vaulted him up draft boards. The Philadelphia 76ers took the Louisiana Lafayette product at No. 10 and traded him to the Orlando Magic for Dario Saric (No. 12 pick), a future first-rounder and future second-rounder. Payton finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting this year.
Will Payne follow in the footsteps of these players and wind up in the top 10? Is he worth it? He put up over 20 points per game this past season while shooting nearly 46 percent overall and 38 percent from three on high volume. He’s also a proficient playmaker and should excel in the pick-and-roll heavy NBA game. There are concerns about his slight frame, but that’s an issue that can be addressed with an NBA training program. His skills, length and solid athleticism can help make up for that current lack of strength.
Payne going in the top five is a major stretch, and the top 10 may be a bit of a reach as well, but he wouldn’t be a bad pick at the tail end of the lottery. Playmaking guards who can space the floor are extremely valuable, and he can be that type of player.
SB Nation presents: How to construct an NBA champion
See More:
