{"id":1094,"date":"2016-09-29T15:36:19","date_gmt":"2016-09-29T19:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=1094"},"modified":"2016-09-29T15:36:19","modified_gmt":"2016-09-29T19:36:19","slug":"cameron-payne-foot-fracture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2016\/09\/29\/cameron-payne-foot-fracture\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameron Payne Suffers Foot Fracture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oklahoma City Thunder<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0announced today that point guard Cameron Payne<\/a><\/strong> has suffered an acute fracture to his fifth metatarsal. The guard injured his right foot during a team scrimmage on Tuesday. Payne will meet with his attending physician later this week to fully determine the next course of action.<\/p>\n

Cameron Payne Suffers Foot\u00a0Fracture<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Payne, 22, had only just recovered from his previous foot injury before picking up his latest ailment. Injuries appear to be an issue for the promising guard. Payne underwent surgery in July to repair a Jones fracture in the same foot.\u00a0Erik Horne<\/strong> of The Oklahoman<\/strong> noted that there was no timeline for Payne’s return, but Horne added that the\u00a0recovery timetable is typically six to eight weeks.\u00a0Last season, Payne played in 57 games but started just one. The point guard out of Murray State<\/strong> averaged 5.0 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game off the bench for Oklahoma City last season.<\/p>\n

It’s doubtful that Payne will\u00a0be healthy for the\u00a0Thunder’s first game\u00a0of the season, which will be against the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>on October 26th. With Payne out, the backup point guard minutes are likely to be filled by Ronnie Price<\/a><\/strong>. If not Price, then former second-round pick Semaj Christon<\/a><\/strong> will fight for backup minutes. Star point guard Russell Westbrook<\/a><\/strong> will hold down most of the starter minutes, as expected. The Thunder are lucky to have a guard with such an incredible engine in Westbrook. The All-Star averaged\u00a0over 34 minutes\u00a0per\u00a0game last season, playing in all but two of OKC’s contests.<\/p>\n

When Payne is once again healthy, the second year guard will continue his role as the\u00a0backup to Westbrook. We saw more of Payne’s pre-game dancing<\/a> last season than his\u00a0abilities on the court. Payne averaged just 12.2 minutes per game in the 2015-16 season, a\u00a0number that should rise this year, once he’s healthy. Payne has a lot of promise, but he’ll\u00a0need to get healthy and focus more if he is to become a successful NBA\u00a0<\/strong>player.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n