Ben Simmons has gotten the headlines, but Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cameron Payne similarly fractured his foot before Simmons did. In Payne’s case, this injury was especially tragic, considering the fact that he — just this summer — underwent surgery to repair a fracture in the same bone, in the same foot. Yikes.
This time around, Payne has opted not to undergo surgery, per Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript:
“Over the last several days, Cameron has had consultations with multiple specialists to determine the best course of action to treat his right foot injury,” Presti’s statement reads. “Based on these consultations and the options provided, Cameron has chosen to pursue a non-surgical route provided by the physicians that is intended to ideally allow the bone to heal on its own and avoid surgery.
“Cameron, his representatives, and the Thunder fully understand that if the bone is not healing appropriately, or if at any point there is a setback in his return to play, surgery may still be required. He will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks.”
Payne injured the foot in an open scrimmage on September 27. Last season (his rookie year) Payne didn’t get enough minutes to show off his skills (unless we’re talking dance skills). Payne averaged five points and just under two assists per game in his debut season while shooting .410/.324/.792.
