Cameron Payne
Grade: C
Cam Payne for President! Cam Payne for President!
Payne has turned Phoenix Suns Nation into his own personal rally with his dynamic play and grasp of the backup point guard position. Against the Heat, he proved every campaign has its bumps.
It isn’t that Payne played poorly, but his shots weren’t dropping with the consistency they were previously. He finished just 2-7 from the field.
Part of that could be because he played more minutes with the starters due to Rubio’s early foul trouble. It is one thing to make hard drives to the basket when the only other scoring threat on the floor is Dario Saric, but when Devin Booker is out there, passing him the ball is often the better option.
Cam did just that, as he dished out five assists on the night.
Still, the Phoenix Suns have seen more from him and the problem with playing well early is that everyone starts to expect that same level of play every night.
As a great philosopher (probably) one said: Today’s favor is tomorrow’s obligation.
That goes for the Suns’s winning too. After five straight, everyone is now expecting them to win their next one. And their next one. And their next one. The thing is, they just might do it.