Thunder’s Cameron Payne Thrives On Being Overlooked

Cameron Payne, Oklahoma City Thunder’s 14th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, is a breath of fresh air to this league. From the way he expresses himself verbally to the manner in which he carries himself in front of the media, Payne exudes a rare combination of genuine humility with a dose of surprising self-confidence.

During his introductory press conference in Oklahoma City, Payne offered some insight into his background and how he’s developed into a NBA-caliber player.

“I never was the big guy to where I was supposed to do this (or) I was supposed to get that,” he explained. “Nah, I was always on the back row, did all the dirty work to make it to where I am now. That’s not going to change. I’ve been overlooked and people never gave me a lot of credit, so I always play with a chip on my shoulder. The chip’s not going to go anywhere.”

As a sophomore last year, Murray State’s court leader averaged 20.2 points per game with 6.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.5 three-pointers. He was named the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year. One would assume that chip might have loosened when he started enjoying breakout success.

“No, not at all. They made me work even harder, like I was the 12th player on the bench,” Payne said. “It’s kind of crazy, but they got the best out of me every day by doing that. Even though I was the starting point guard at Murray, as long as we were winning, it didn’t matter. I put my heart down on the line every night for my teammates. Entitlement, it just doesn’t come to the Payne family.”

That attitude is what Sam Presti, the Thunder’s general manager and executive vice president, found attractive in Payne.

“As we were looking at players for this draft, we had to think about somebody who would be a great fit not only for our team, our organization and our community, but that had the right make-up to come into the stage of a team that we’re in right now,” Presti said. “Someone that had a real strong base of character (and) someone that would be able to bring a competitive work ethic day in and day out.

“He has no assumptions. He doesn’t feel entitled to anything. He’s had to work for everything he’s had.”

Payne understands he still has more dues to pay. He realizes that he’s been drafted to an elite team that includes point guard Russell Westbrook, who averaged 28.1 points, 8.6 assists and 2.1 steals last season, in the starting lineup.

“Russell Westbrook is one of the best guards in the nation and also one of the best scorers ever,” Payne said. “To be a part of this team, I get to learn from Russell. I get to learn from Kevin (Durant). I’m just coming in here, whatever role is placed on me, whatever the coach needs me to do, I’m down to do it. Just trust the process. If it means not playing, that’s what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to live with it.”

Payne was referring to, of course, the Thunder’s new head coach, Billy Donovan. From hearing Donovan talk about OKC’s first-round pick, there’s little doubt he endorses Presti’s decision.

“I think (he’s) just a great kid,” Donovan shared. “Anytime you walk levels that are going from high school to college, college to the NBA, there’s always going to be a transition period. I think for him, he’s got the resiliency and the perseverance and the character to really want to go on and get better. I didn’t get a chance to see him play a lot at Murray State, but I did have a chance to watch game film on him and had a chance to sit down and speak with him as well and he’s a very, very impressive kid.”

During Payne’s first gathering with the Oklahoma City press, it was rather endearing to listen to him speak about his recent meeting with the Thunder’s two stars.

“When I first got here, I saw Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. They greeted me by my name. I was star struck from the beginning already.”

He tapped into the wonder of it all that many people, especially media types, tend to forget.

“When I first came in, Russell was working out,” Payne said. “And he just stopped working out and he came and shook my hand and said ‘what’s up?’ And then Kevin Durant came over and said, ‘what’s up?’ They watched me work out. They watched me put up a lot of shots.”

“There’s always that balance between having self-confidence and that humility,” Donovan said. “I think Cam is very confident in himself, but I also think he is very, very humble as it relates to the fact that he’s going to be having a chance to work with someone like Russell every single day. It’s going to really help his growth and development. And the humility to understand that he needs to get better and the humility that he can learn and still grow and the humility of ‘hey what can I do to help the organization?’ And the fact that when he plays the game, he wants to try to get everyone else involved. Now, can he score and can he shoot? Absolutely, but that’s not really who he’s been through most of his career.”

Payne is truly revered for his uncanny court vision and his ability to get his teammates involved in the game. When asked to explain how he developed that skill to see the court so well, he answered quickly.

“Honestly, that’s a God-gifted ability. I grew up in a household full of point guards. My dad was the first point guard of us all. He taught me very young you had to get everyone involved, so I grew up being a team player. That’s all I know.”

The Thunder will rely on him to do just that while leading the second unit. D.J. Augustin, about to enter his final contract season, held the position at the end of last season, but with a new coach and new schemes, Payne figures to get a real chance.

“I think the biggest thing with him is he’s got great vision,” Donovan said. “He really understands the position, he understands how to play.”

“Obviously people know him as incredibly cerebral,” Presti said. “He understands space on the floor. He understands angles. He understands time. All of these things that are really hard to teach, he has these things kind of intuitively.”

When the green room invitees were assembled on draft night, Payne was the only mid-major there. He is quick to point to the success of other mid-majors – Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Elfrid Payton – when talking about his potential in the NBA. Now that his immediate future with the Thunder is assured, he feels fortunate.

“It’s a great organization,” Payne said about his new team. “I’m proud to be a part of it. I feel it fits me perfectly, coming from a small school.”

What does he think will be his biggest challenge during his rookie season?

“Time,” Payne answered. “Just because I’ve got to come in and get better. I’ve got to be a better player. It’s a process. I’m going to be learning from some great players, so time is going to make me better.”

Unfortunately, Payne suffered a fracture to his right ring finger during a pre-draft workout with the Denver Nuggets and is scheduled to see a specialist in OKC. Once healed, he is especially eager to start working with Westbrook. Payne, a 6’2 lefty, knows he’s getting ready to learn from someone who knows the position inside and out.

“He’s so explosive,” he said about Westbrook. “I feel competing every day against him, he’s going to get me better. He has one of the best mid-range games in the game right now. That’s some of the things I need to add to my game, being explosive. I’ve got to get more athletic, work on my mid-range game, try to take less floaters and more memory jump shots.”

One glance at Payne, and the excitement in his eyes is evident. We asked him what it will feel like when he steps onto that NBA court for the first time to play.

“It’s going to feel great,” he answered. “It’s going to feel like everything just came together. Just to see the fans all around me and see how I’ve been doing all this work and (that) I got to the point that I wanted to be. I’m going to going to feel blessed. It’s going to be a crazy night, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Payne already seems to be aware of the blossoming rivalry between the Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies. History has demonstrated that when these two teams face each other, revenge is typically the key emotion on both sides.

“It feels like a big-time college out here the way the fans come out and support it every night. I’m from Memphis, and (now I’m with) Oklahoma City, that’s a rivalry. It feels good to be a part of this team to go against those guys.”

That’s got to be music to Thunder fans’ ears.