National Basketball Association

Hawks rookie Payne offers versatility off bench

Published Oct. 15, 2014 12:13 a.m. ET

Zach Dillard

ATLANTA -- In NBA Draft scouting reports, tidal waves of information glued to the names of potential draft picks on Google searches, on Adreian Payne, buzz words continually popped up: pick-and-pop, skilled, stretch four, versatile, athletic, wingspan. The usual.

Rarely, though, was the word so often tied to Payne's college program, the Michigan State Spartans under coach Tom Izzo, tethered to his own name. Then-acting Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry described his top 2014 draft pick as a stretch big who could play up to the team's pace and create space for the team's guards. But if "stretch four" and "toughness" are not immediately synonymous in today's NBA, then Payne quickly set out to change that distinction. On draft night, it didn't take long for him to evoke the Izzo-inspired Spartan mantra: "From Michigan State, we have a toughness."

In his very first practice with the team, he accidentally sent teammate and All-Star forward Paul Millsap for stitches above his eye.

"Yeah, that happened," Payne said, laughing. "He didn't like me for a while. You know how that goes. That was a bad experience when I first got here."

However, Payne is not expected to serve as some sort of off-the-bench enforcer for his new coach, Mike Budenholzer. That wasn't his ultimate role in college, particularly as he became a go-to option on the offensive end during his junior and senior seasons, and that certainly isn't the expectation when an organization characterizes a guy as a stretch-four. Not that his own sense of toughness is a negative, but Budenholzer has other goals in mind.

Once Payne catches onto a concept-driven system, he's expected to steal some quality minutes in a stable of skilled frontcourt names. And while his defensive awareness remains a work in progress, Budenholzer envisions the No. 15 overall draft pick filling a valuable spot on the roster.

"We want our bigs to get the paint, get to the rim and finish, and as important make decisions. We put the ball in our bigs' hands to make decisions a lot. Adreian kinda has all of those skills," Budenholzer said at the team's media days event. "I think where we're gonna challenge him and push him is where he's making more decisions, he's got the ball in probably some different positions, but I think he has the skills. Now it's just getting the reps and learning where the space is, where the shooters are."

Three games into the preseason schedule, Payne is receiving those reps against NBA opponents for the first time. Here are a few areas where he can be expected to contribute in Year 1:

Payne was not the one-and-done type in college, but his year-to-year development on the offensive end made him a fit for Atlanta.

The 6-foot-10 forward added elements to his game every offseason, going from a bench player with decent defensive numbers to the co-focal point of Izzo's 2013-14 offense alongside fellow first-round pick Gary Harris. His game diversified, giving him the capability to take his defender all over the court during his senior season. As Derek Bodner of Draft Express pointed out back in June, Payne's offense broke down like this: 27.7 percent on post-ups, 20 percent on spot-up attempts, 10.5 percent in pick-and-rolls, 7.8 percent from putbacks and 7.2 percent off cuts.

As he became more efficient, and as the Spartans graduated some top players, he received a greater share of the workload. In his four-year career, his usage went from 18.7 percent of possessions to 27.2. In some ways, that increased workload and upward trajectory mirrors that of former MSU teammate and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green's in college, although Payne insists that he was told he has a leg up on his former MSU teammate.

"I always envisioned myself being able to shoot the ball, because I always had good touch," Payne said. "As I was there, (Green) was a mentor. I watched how he grew as as a player. He was always a great defender and passer. And he could shoot the ball, but Coach (Izzo) always told me I could shoot the ball better than Draymond. … We always get into it about that."

That workload won't likely replicate itself at the NBA level, especially in his rookie campaign. Payne's ability to take defenders away from the rim should provide a helping hand in Budenholzer's system, though, as he's grown more and more accustomed to playing outside the paint. Here's how his game moved away from the rim in his final three seasons in East Lansing (percentage of shots at the rim, via Hoop Math):

He hoisted 104 3-pointers his senior season, making 44 of them, which fits right into the profile of the Hawks, a team that put up the fourth-most 3-pointers in the NBA a year ago and one that doesn't plan on falling off that pace for the 2015-16 campaign.

In his first preseason game against New Orleans, the rookie looked as if he were over-thinking on the offense end, as if everything were rushed, which is understandable after practicing for just a couple weeks in the new offense. On his first possession, he bobbled the ball on a cut to the basket, recovered, then popped out for an outside shot that resulted in an air ball. He finished the game with four points. Overall, he's missed 10 of his 13 preseason shots, although he did knock his first 3-pointer against Miami on Tuesday night.

"I just think it's a matter of going out there and playing the best I can," Payne said after his preseason opener. "I'm just trying to think about everything instead of just reacting. Coach said I play better when I react, so that's what I'm trying to do."

The game should eventually slow down for him. If and when it does, there's a good chance he provides some offensive help in a reserve role.

Following the preseason opener, the only game played at Philips Arena thus far, Budenholzer pinpointed Payne's rebounding production. At the team's media day event, Al Horford expressed his surprise at Payne's athleticism around the rim. All of which points a finger at one expectation this season for the rookie big man: when he's on the court, he'll need to prevent opponents from grabbing extra possessions.

As his game moved farther and farther away from the rim in college, Payne's offensive rebounding numbers dipped, but on the defensive side of the ball he was one of the best in the country at gobbling up available boards. In his final two seasons, Paayne ranked among the top-80 defensive rebounders around, grabbing 23.9 and 22.9 percent of available rebounds, respectively. His length (6-foot-10, 7-foot-4 wingspan) and athleticism certainly helped, and it should continue to serve him well at the professional level.

The Hawks were slightly below average in the defensive rebounding department last season (tied for 16th-best) and it's been one of Budenholzer's main talking points during the offseason. Of course, running out a healthy frontline helps. Adding Payne shouldn't hurt.

During preseason action -- yes, it is just preseason -- he's hauled in 16 rebounds in 50 minutes of action.

With somewhat-unexpected fervor, Hawks veteran center Elton Brand branded this Hawks frontcourt as one of the deepest in the league. Budenholzer, when later asked about the comment, did not exactly shoot down that narrative.

"I mean, I think it's unique in that we feel like we've got seven guys that can really play and are really capable of contributing," Budenholzer said. "Bigs, I guess if you look around the league, can be hard to find. It's hard to get guys that you have a lot of confidence in and you trust.

"To have seven guys that we feel good about I think is a definite bonus for us."

Certainly the return of Horford, who has recovered from his second season-ending pectoral injury in the past three seasons, provides the bulk of the supporting evidence. If Horford is back in top form, it gives Atlanta two All-Star-caliber big men in Horford and Paul Millsap. There are only a handful of teams that can make a similar claim entering this season.

Behind those two, there's a host of options for Budenholzer. Versatile third-year forward Mike Scott is coming off a successful season, while big man Pero Antic saw some starting time last season in Horford's absence. Brand provides a big body in the middle, while 2013 draft pick Mike Muscala has impressed in camp and could also see some time off the bench. Then there's Payne. It's unclear where he fits into this rotation just yet because, well, the preseason is still the preseason -- it's there for practice and development.

Over the past five NBA Drafts, players selected in the mid-teens (Nos. 14-16) like Adreian Payne, a group that includes the likes of reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and one of the league's top sophomore standouts Giannis Antetokounmpo, typically saw solid, off-the-bench playing time during their rookie campaigns. Some played more, some played less. The average of the 13 players who played their rookie season was about 14.5 minutes, which, though it does not reflect the Hawks depth or Payne's individual abilities, is a decent expectation for the Hawks rookie.

If he can provide the offensive versatility and defensive rebounding the team hopes he can right off the bat, Payne should play an important role for one of the Eastern Conference's deeper teams.