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Game 1 between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets took place on Monday, where the Suns ran away with it, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Most of the roster lit it up, as Phoenix shot 54.1% from the field as a team. They also went 17/20 from the free-throw line and hardly fouled the Denver Nuggets at all, giving themselves a massive advantage throughout the game.
Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges all scored 20+ points, giving the Suns the boost they needed to outplay the Nuggets. It was an impressive performance to say the least, as Phoenix seemingly took over the game in the second half.
Even so, Game 2 will likely be much different. Nikola Jokic will aim for a much-improved performance after winning the MVP award, and Michael Porter Jr. is bound to redeem himself in the next game. Phoenix will have a much more difficult game on their hands on Wednesday night.
For that reason, the Suns will need someone on the roster to step up in a big way. The team will essentially need an X-Factor type of performance from a rotational player if they hope to take a 2-0 series lead over Denver. Here is the one player that must elevate their game to defeat the Nuggets in Game 2.
Cameron Payne played 20 minutes off of the bench on Monday, but was only able to record 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. Luckily for the Suns, his production wasn't quite needed as they ran away with the game in the second half. However, Game 2 should be a much closer matchup, and they'll need Payne to be at his best.
The backcourt is where Phoenix holds the advantage in this series. Chris Paul and Devin Booker proved to be too much for the Nuggets to handle. For that reason, Cameron Payne has a legitimate chance to shine when his number is called. Facundo Campazzo, Austin Rivers, and Monté Morris make up Denver's backcourt, which means Payne should be capitilizing on this obvouis mismatch.
Scoring has never been a large part of Payne's game, however, he's been rather efficient throughout his career. This season alone, Payne shot 48.4% from the field and 44.0% from beyond the arc. Those are spectacular numbers that could really help his team out if he just took a few more shots each game.
If he can do that while maintaining the efficiency, the Suns backcourt would become even more lethal, causing Denver fits and likely struggling to keep up in Game 2 and beyond. Even so, scoring isn't the only area Payne could improve.
For the Suns, it'd be nice to see Payne elvate his game on the defensive end. Whether he's generating turnovers, or playing high-level on-ball defense, Payne could become an integral part of the Suns in multiple ways. Considering the backcourt mismatch, a bump in Payne's production would give Phoenix even more of an edge in this series.
Look for Cameron Payne to potentially become more involved in the Suns game plan in Game 2. If he can improve and make a few adjustments to his game, Payne suddenly becomes one of the best backup point guards in the league.
