Cameron Payne's first four years in the league can be considered as a major disappointment, considering that he was selected 14th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2015. An 18-point scorer in college, the Murray State standout failed to carry his game over to the NBA.
He's bounced off several teams from 2015-2019 but has never averaged more than two points per game in a season. However, Payne still believes that he can be a great NBA player. In an interview with Mavs.com's Dwain Price, he said that injuries and lack of opportunities have been the main reasons why he hasn't been able to live up to the expectations, and that he's hoping that his stint with the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team will give him the fresh start that he needs.
“I’ve been banged up three of the (four) years, and then kind of was just in a bad situation and I ended up with the Bulls and they let me go. I feel like it’s just all an opportunity at the end of the day.”
The 2015 NBA Draft class has been a disappointment in general, with Karl Anthony-Towns (1st), D'Angelo Russell (3rd), Kristaps Porzingis (4th), Myles Turner (11th), and Devin Booker (13th) having impressive career starts. However, the 13 players that were picked ahead of Payne are still in the NBA.
The 24-year-old guard hopes that he could be back in the league soon, but also understands that he needs to take his time in order to be at full strength once his number gets called up.
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