[Feature] 3 thoughts on: Cameron Payne

In what I plan on making a special series over here at the Corner Three Blog, I'm going to do a deep dive and give you 3 thoughts on the Thunder players, pertinent to the upcoming 2015-2016 season.  Fun facts, stats, and general information on the players wearing Thunder blue this year.  Having said that, let's start with this years incoming rookie from the NBA Draft; the #14 overall pick, Cameron Payne.
A few things up front - anyone who earns a nickname from Russell Westbrook is alright in my book.  And since Cam has already been called "Smooth" by Russ, I think we know a little bit of what we can expect from #22 when he gets into the game this year.

Now, onto the 3 thoughts...

1. Cameron Payne was born in Bartlett, Tennessee, and went to high school in Memphis.  Look for the games the Thunder play against the Grizz to have special meaning.  As a side note, some of the player comparisons for Payne (as a lefty smooth point guard) are to Mike Conley,  who is, you guessed it, running the show for the Memphis Grizzlies.  
2. Payne is a very good shot creator and maker for his position, posting a True Shooting Percentage (TS%) his rookie season at Murray State of 52.6%, according to Sports Reference - and this improved to a fantastic 57.3% his second season.  His Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) was a solid 48.1% his rookie season and jumped to 53.4% his 2nd year.  And he was averaging 20.2 ppg and 6.0 apg with a usage rate of 31.5% his sophomore season.  While he won't be using anywhere near that number of Thunder possessions, he IS still a point guard and will have the ball in his hands a lot with the 2nd unit.  All of those fancy advanced stats point to the fact that he can actually shoot, and get to the cup and finish.  Doesn't feel like he's going to be chucking up shots or spending loads of time being inefficient when he's on the court.  Not too shabby a get with the #14 pick.
3. Payne garnered all kinds of accolades in college; 2015 Lute Olson Award winner, Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, 2 time 1st team All-OVC, and 2015 OVC Player of the Year.  But he also made history in being the highest draft pick ever to come from Murray State, topping Isaiah Canaan from the 2013-2014 draft class (who was selected #34 overall) - along with Canaan, a few other Murray State notable draftees:  Marcus Brown, James Singleton, and  Popeye Jones (who played for 10 years in the NBA)  While coming from a mid-major school doesn't usually mean instant success, of late there have been some great prospects to come from such schools, including Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Elfrid Payton.

So there you have it - The Corner Three's 3 thoughts on Cameron Payne.  Look for more special features on Thunder players as we head towards the regular season opener on Wednesday, October 28th.  And you know that the #ThunderNationRISE