Cameron Payne is the latest player to take the reigns as the Milwaukee Bucks’ backup point guard, having inked a one-year deal recently.
The point guard comes to Milwaukee following a four-year stint with the Phoenix Suns, where he revived his career after a few turbulent years. He was a key cog on those Phoenix teams, including the group that faced the Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals and made several other deep playoff runs. What kind of player are the Bucks getting in Payne? Let’s dive in.
Age: 29 (Birthday is August 8)
Position: Point guard
2023-24 Salary: $2.9 million
NBA Experience: Eight years
Last Season’s Stats: 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.2 blocks, 41.5 percent field goal shooting, 36.8 percent 3-point shooting, 76.6 percent free throw shooting.
Bucks 2023-24 Player Profile: Can Cameron Payne orchestrate the bench?
This was a great signing for the Bucks. Though Payne won’t be a needle tipper, he will fill a major position of need at the backup point guard position after Jevon Carter’s departure to Chicago this past free agency. Payne, an eight-year veteran, brings plenty of experience as a nice backup to the table, and it shouldn’t take much for him to find his groove with the Bucks.
Payne is a strong scorer, facilitator, and perimeter shooter, all of which should help this team out mightily on a nightly basis. Not only can he provide double-digit points off of the bench, but he is also capable of chipping in five or more assists nightly. With the high-end talent in Milwaukee, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Payne clocked in a new career-high for assists in 2023-24.
When Damian Lillard is off of the floor, Cam Payne can check in and give the Bucks another quality ball-handler to orchestrate things, which will help this team tremendously. Though he should help on offense, the biggest question mark is what the 6-foot-1 Payne can provide on defense. If he is even passable on that end, it would help him stick on the floor quite a bit more.
Following Milwaukee’s blockbuster Damian Lillard trade, depth has been a major question mark for the Bucks. Again, this signing doesn’t solve that issue entirely, but it helps fortify the second unit with a strong backup, who was arguably the best remaining free agent on the market.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis leading up to the 2023-24 NBA season.