Jan 7, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Abrines (8) shoots the ball over Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
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Cam Payne comes back to save the day
“Cameron Payne is back! The pre-game dances are back! He scored 8 points shooting 3-of-4 from the field in 13 minutes. If Payne can play well, that’s a big win for this team. He could be more than just bait for a trade this season. His offensive upside and feel for the game is what makes him so interesting for this team.”
I LOVE CAMERON PAYNE. So what that the Thunder probably would have won that game without Payne? I full believe Payne made ALL the difference. The second unit finally has a true point guard to put them in sets; it finally looked like real basketball. Payne has brought a nice little jump shot to the table in 2017 and I’m really excited to watch him and Alex Abrines group up together.
Related Story: What to expect from Cam Payne
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LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT CAMERON PAYNE
“’It’s been long,’ Payne said at Saturday’s shootaround, hours before he made his season debut. ‘It’s been challenging, and there’s been a lot of adversity. But God puts you through situations for a reason. I feel like he put me through this situation. I got stronger and that’s what I needed in my game, so hopefully at the end of the day, it helps me in the long run.’”
I LOVE CAM PAYNE EVEN MORE NOW. There was something different about Payne tonight though. He looked much more comfortable running the offense compared to last year, and his shot looked smoothhhhhhhhhh. And than we had this…
Cameron Payne & Russell Westbrook back at it ???? pic.twitter.com/yXG6A0H46g
— FootBasket.com (@FootBasket) January 8, 2017
More from Thunderous Intentions
CAM PAYNE IS BACK AND I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER.
Bleacher Report puts out some power rankings…
“The Thunder’s defense remains its strongest attribute, but watching the Hornets post 123 points on Wednesday was a bit worrisome. Houston going for 118 was less of an issue since the Rockets do that to everybody.”
After tonight, I’m not sure that the defense is the strength for this team. Oklahoma City looked atrocious, especially in the second quarter. And on the offensive end they had things rolling. Domantas Sabonis was getting fed down low in the first quarter, and Victor Oladipo had a plethora of plays ran for him. If they keep doing spreading the ball, this team could actually be dangerous.
