Did Adreian Payne find his three-point stroke in Las Vegas?
Adreian Payne has the tools to be a special NBA player. He's huge (6'10", 245 pounds), physical and can shoot from outside. Not many have that skill-set, but his rookie season was ultimately a bit of a disappointment.
Payne barely shot over 40 percent from the floor in 29 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves after they traded a lottery-protected future first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks for him.
But Kyle Ratke of Timberwolves.com believes Payne is due for a bounce-back year. Here's why:
"Many thought that Payne could bring the Wolves some outside shooting after his arrival. After all, he did shoot 42.3 percent from deep during his senior season at Michigan State. That wasn’t exactly the case. Payne shot just 11 percent, although it was a small sample size with just nine attempts. Fans would love if Payne could turn back into the stretch four/five he was in college. If the Summer League is any indication, it looks like Payne is making progress. In five games, Payne shot 37.5 percent from deep (6-of-15). Hopefully this is something that translates to the regular season."
If Payne can develop his outside shot a bit, he should be able to find decent minutes in Minnesota's crowded frontcourt. There are a ton of like-sized guys, including Kevin Garnett, Gorgui Dieng and number one overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns.
But Payne is talented enough to find a spot in Flip Saunders' rotation. He'll need to play well when given the opportunity to do so.
(h/t: Timberwolves)
Photo Credit: Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
