One of the lesser known but most talented players in this year's NBA Draft has to be Murray State point guard Cameron Payne.
Payne, who measures at six feet, two inches, took over as the Racers' point guard his Freshman season, the year after current Philadelphia 76ers' guard Isaiah Cannan graduated from the university. From the get-go, fans in Murray, Kentucky, as well as around the Ohio Valley knew Payne was a special player as he had good ball handling skills, a sweet left-handed stroke, and the ability to make amazing assists.
This past season, he further asserted himself as an amazing talent by averaging 20.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.9 steals per game as a Sophomore. In fact, the prospect from Memphis, Tennessee greatly outdid his predecessor's Sophomore numbers and only averaged 1.6 points per game less this year than Cannan's Senior year while having higher totals in rebounds, assists, and steals.
After his second year of college basketball was over, Payne made "a dream come true" by humbly declaring for the NBA Draft and forgoing his final two seasons at Murray State.
Since his decision to enter his name in the NBA Draft, his performances in the NBA Draft Combine and pre-draft team workouts have been great as he has impressed many teams while raising his draft stock.
Unfortunately this Monday during a pre-draft workout with the Denver Nuggets, Payne fractured his ring finger on his non-shooting hand (right). His agent confirmed the news of the future NBA guard's injury and said it is "a clean fracture which will not require surgery" and that the twenty-year old "will sit out the next three weeks as a precautionary measure." Since the severity is not serious, the consensus is Payne's draft stock will be affected very little if at all.