Toronto Raptors: The full Cameron Payne scouting report

The Toronto Raptors have reportedly agreed to a two-year contract with point guard Cameron Payne. What does he bring to the team?

Cameron Payne was selected with the 14th pick of the 2015 NBA draft, by the Oklahoma City Thunder. An undersized but productive point guard from Murray State, Sam Presti and the Thunder had high hopes for Payne. Four years and three teams later, the Toronto Raptors have lower expectations.

To say Payne hasn’t lived up to expectations as a lottery-pick would be an understatement. Not only has he not lived up to his lottery selection over the past four years; he hasn’t been a roster-worthy NBA-quality point guard. In fact, if it weren’t for his draft pedigree, killa cam would likely be in Europe at this point in time.

Things started off relatively well for Payne early in his career. His rookie season he appeared in 57 regular-season and 10 playoff games for a 55-win Thunder team. Like most rookies, he struggled a bit with his efficiency and defense, but he showed flashes of why he was a lottery pick.

The following year, after the departure of Kevin Durant, the Thunder traded Cameron Payne to the Chicago Bulls in a package for Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott. The deal was a win-now move meant to help the Thunder compete in the playoffs.

Since being traded, things have gone downhill for Payne. He played 2.5 years in Chicago before being released in the middle of last season. The Chicago Bulls — one of the worst teams in the NBA — didn’t think he was worth a roster spot.  After that, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers and actually put together a solid 10 game stretch to end 2019.

Now, Masai Ujiri and company have brought Payne in on a two-year, partially guaranteed contract. Considering the commitment and the lack of competing point guards on the roster, Payne is almost certainly guaranteed a roster spot.

What can he bring to the Toronto Raptors and how does he fit in?