Cameron Payne spoke recently on the Roommates show with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart about the challenges of being a role player in the NBA, especially when you were a strong performer in the collegiate game. Payne noted that the sooner players come in humble and ready to accept a role despite their success in college, the longer their careers will be from that point on. But he did explain why it can be a challenge.
“It’s hard to tell a guy that was cooking in college to come in and say ‘I need you to be a cheerleader. No disrespect, but I need you to just cheer my guys, cheer the other players on’. It’s hard because all you know is you’ve been scoring 25 a night. Like, ‘I’m the man!’. The people who stay in the league a long time figure out the role faster.”
“‘Alright, I ain’t going to be the guy that’s going to get 30 a night. But my opportunity is to be there’. So people who stay locked into their craft and do that have a longer time in the league because they understand their role. It’s hard to understand that role when you think you’re still the guy.”
“It’s hard for young players to come right in and fit into their role. Because it’s like I’m trying to show something when that’s not what is needed. It’s a hard thing, it’s not easy. I didn’t learn it in my first four or five years. I didn’t learn it till I was out of the league, till I was humbled, seeing something I didn’t want to be around.”
“Not flying first class, taking my jersey to the game. Who does that? I don’t remember the last time I did that. Little things like that made me understand that this is my role. Obviously, I want to play more but sometimes, it’s just not what you’re going to get. It’s not your fault.”
“A lot of young guys come in thinking ‘It’s my fault. I ain’t playing because I missed this shot’. Bro, you have no control. And you get caught up in your emotions… It ain’t easy. Everybody ain’t willing to accept it… But I feel like the quicker people figure it out, the longer their career goes.”
Cameron Payne will have personal experience with this. As a collegiate player at Murray State, he averaged 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks during his two seasons there.
2013-14: 34 games (34 starts), 32.7 minutes, 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.
2014-15: 35 games (35 starts), 32.2 minutes, 20.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
He ended his two-year stint with Murray State averaging 32.4 minutes, 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks.
NBA Humbles Cameron Payne
Upon entering the NBA, he was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his first season, he was a two-way player, who made occasional appearances with the first team when given the chance. By his second year, he got traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he fulfilled a similar role.
He would play for the Bulls from 2017 to 2019, before getting waived by them. He’d sign a pair of 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers but didn’t impress them enough to earn a full-time contract with them.
2015-16: 57 games (1 start), 12.2 minutes, 5.0 points, 1.9 assists, 1.5 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game.
2016-17: 31 games (0 starts), 14.9 minutes, 5.2 points, 1.8 assists, 1.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game.
2017-18: 25 games (14 starts), 23.3 minutes, 8.8 points, 4.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.
2018-19: 40 games (13 starts), 17.8 minutes, 6.3 points, 2.7 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
After four years in the NBA where he failed to make a major impact, Payne found himself out of the NBA in 2019. After about a year away from the NBA, during which time he played in the G-League, he got a chance to return with the Phoenix Suns, where he impressed greatly.
With the Suns, he even played an important role in reaching the 2021 NBA Finals. He played on the Suns till 2023, before he was eventually traded out. After joining the Milwaukee Bucks, where he spent a brief amount of time, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He was with Philly till the end of last season, before signing with the New York Knicks this past offseason.
2020-21: 60 games (1 start), 18.0 minutes, 8.4 points, 3.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
2021-22: 58 games (1 start), 10.8 minutes, 10.8 points, 4.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
2022-23: 48 games (15 starts), 20.2 minutes, 10.3 points, 4.5 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
2023-24: 78 games (10 starts), 16.7 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.6 assists, 1.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game.
2024-25 (So Far): 28 games (1 start), 15.9 minutes, 7.1 points, 2.9 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
Career: 433 games (56 starts), 17.9 minutes, 7.9 points, 3.2 assists, 2.1 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
Payne had to leave the league and lose his spot for him to learn what it takes to abandon your ego and become a team player.
His year-long stint in the G-League showed him what it takes, not just physically, but mentally, to survive in the NBA. He came back, accepting far lower minutes than he got in college, along with fewer opportunities, and a very strict role to play. Only after he accepted that did he find sustainable success in the league.
Since returning to the NBA, Payne has established himself as a strong role player, who continues to get some minutes regularly with whichever team he is on. Currently, on the Knicks, Payne is on a legitimate championship contender since his stint with the Phoenix Suns. And the Knicks have learned that they can trust him to play his role.
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