Chicago Bulls Season In Review: Cameron Payne
It’s the offseason! Time to relax, watch some better teams keep playing basketball and take a sobering look back at how the 2016–2017 Bulls performed. Here at Bulls Confidential, we’ll be evaluating each player’s season one-by-one throughout the month of May. Follow us on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss any!
Cameron Payne
2016–2017 Salary: $ 2,112,480| Age: 22 | Season Stats: 5.2 PPG, 1.8 APG
Season Recap:
Do you like to “Hit Dem Folks”? If you are a fan of the popular southern dance, then you probably are familiar with second-year NBA player Cameron Payne. His rise to fame on a national stage came from his pre-game dance routine with MVP-candidate Russell Westbrook during his tenure in Oklahoma City. If you aren’t familiar with the now legendary pre-game dance routine, Payne is probably an afterthought to you (also do yourself a favor and click here). The former Thunder guard only played 11 games as a member of the Chicago Bulls, and in two of those games, he received less than five minutes. However, there was a stretch in which he received considerable playing time in nine straight games, and in that time you were able to get a small look at what his role would be like.
It is inexplicable that Payne played so little in the first place, considering he was essentially the main piece for the Bulls in the Taj Gibson-Doug McDermott trade. His youthful exuberance should have at-worst provided a little bit of a spark off the bench, but instead he spent most of his time in street clothes. When Payne did play, he often shot the ball so quick, it appeared as if he was playing in “The World’s Most Important Game” of Hot Potato. I had the pleasure of seeing Payne up-close-and-personal during one of his games with the Windy City Bulls (Chicago Bulls D-League Affiliate), and if you combine his three games with Windy City with his minutes with under Fred Hoiberg, you get a much better picture of how he projects moving forward.
Season Highlight:
There was Madness at the professional and college ranks in March. Cameron Payne had easily his most productive month of the season. On March 6, he scored 14 points against the Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately, those 14 points came on 14 shots. But that night he shot 44 percent from the 3-point line on nine attempts, showing off the range that could make him an ideal fit for Hoiberg’s offense if it shows up with any regularity.
Season Lowlight:
Following that 14-point game against the Pistons, Payne received minutes in four more games before he ended up falling completely out of the rotation. Seeing as the Bulls traded one of the longest-tenured athletes in Chicago and a former first-round draft pick for him, it would be fair of Payne and his camp to look at this season as a huge disappointment. His trade to Chicago was supposed to represent a fresh start. Instead he seems to be in the same situation he was in OKC when he was a guard without a clear-cut role in the rotation.
Looking Forward:
Gar Forman and John Paxson have been upfront about Payne being someone they coveted dating back to the 2015 NBA Draft. It is weird that GarPax professed such love for Payne considering how limited his role on the team was. However, it is not ridiculous to believe Payne will be much better in the future. He is only 22 years old and has a huge chip on his shoulder. His energy and attitude are two things that propelled him to being a lottery pick out of Murray State, and they are also the two things that will contribute most to him becoming a serviceable NBA player. Unfortunately what Payne needs most at this time is great coaching and an opportunity. It is not clear that either of those things will be available on next year’s Chicago Bulls team.
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