Cameron Payne’s stock has risen more than any other draft prospect’s, largely due to him playing for a small school in Murray State. However, teams have loved what they’ve seen from Payne, and he is quickly becoming a household name. He will likely be selected in the lottery, and his name has been tied to the Knicks and the Thunder, while on our most recent mock draft we have the Pacers taking him at no. 11.
Payne’s stock is currently soaring, but he suffered a minor setback on Monday, June 15.
Per DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony:
Cameron Payne suffered a non-displaced fracture in the ring finger of his right (off) hand in a workout in Denver on Monday. After seeing a hand specialist in New York, it was determined that Payne suffered a clean fracture which will not require surgery, and will sit out the next three weeks as a precautionary measure. His hand is currently in a splint, not a cast. “Cam continued to work out even after suffering the injury in Denver, and he could probably play in a meaningful game tomorrow if he needed to,” his agent Travis King told us, adding that the precise timetable for his return will be set after an additional visit with a specialist next week.
While an injury is never good news, especially this close to the draft(which is June 25th), it doesn’t sound like the injury is serious. Not needing surgery is definitely good news.
Payne’s workout with Denver was the last workout planned for the 6’2″ point guard. He has also worked out for the Lakers, Kings, Pacers, and met with the Thunder, Jazz, and Celtics.
Givony also wrote:
According to NBA sources we’ve spoken with, a number of teams could attempt to move up and trade for Payne depending on how the lottery shakes out.
It seems that tons of teams are enamored with Payne, and an injury this minor shouldn’t change that. It will be interesting to see which team winds up drafting Payne.
