Toronto Raptors: The full Cameron Payne scouting report

What he brings to the table

One area even Payne’s biggest detractors will recognize is his elite introduction/dancing abilities. Few, if any, can compete with Cam Payne in this area of the game. He has moves, he has passion, and he has an ability to suck up to the team’s most important player.  Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam’s pre-game routine undoubtedly just took a major step forward.

In terms of actual production, it’s a little harder to find what Payne does well. He’s a solid passer, although nothing spectacular. He’s a decent rebounder considering his frame, but he’s not Russell Westbrook or even Lowry on the glass. Both areas he’s a non-negative, which for your third-string point guard, might be good enough.

As a scorer, there’s not much to like either. His one saving grace might be a late improvement we are just now witnessing.

Payne is a career 33-percent shooter from beyond the arc, so to call his three-point range a strength would be a stretch. However, with the Cleveland Cavaliers and this recent Summer League,  he’s shown a great deal of improvement.

In Cleveland, Payne shot 36-percent from beyond the arc. In Summer League, he shot greater than 45-percent. If those numbers are indicative of his future performance — a huge stretch considering the limited sample size — Payne’s improvement as a three-point shooter could prove vital to his success offensively.

Defensively, he has the tools to be effective. He’s extremely long, plays with effort, and is at least an average athlete. He hasn’t been particularly good defensively to this point, but he has the tools to be an average-to-above-average-defender.