The New York Knicks could surely use Cam Payne back in their lineup after what they showed in their 109-97 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
The Knicks’ bench struggled mightily without Cam Payne in the loss vs. the Rockets
The Knicks’ bench combined for a grand total of three points in Houston. All three came from rookie point guard Tyler Kolek. Despite Miles McBride’s donut in the scoring department coming as an anomaly, the fact of the matter is that New York’s condensed second unit did not give their starters the support they needed. Payne’s absence showed itself to be a detriment to their cause.
Payne is questionable for the Knicks’ matchup vs. the Hawks
The 30-year-old floor general is currently nursing a hamstring injury. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau spoke on Payne’s ailment prior to taking on the Rockets, expressing that he and his staff would monitor his progress day by day.
According to the Roto Wire Staff (via CBS Sports), Payne is listed as questionable for the Knicks’ next outing against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Though the Tennessee native has yet to come into the fullness of his strength this season, his 5.6 points and 3.2 assists per contest in 15.4 minutes off the bench are valuable to New York.
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Payne can help the Knicks improve their ball movement in potential return
The Knicks are hoping that Payne will be ready to go for tip-off on Wednesday night. The league’s eighth-worst team in the assists department (23.7 APG) will look for Payne to run the show with the second five against a Hawks team that is conceding the ninth-fewest dimes (25.3 APG) to opponents, should he be deemed ready to go.
The Murray State product will also look to right the ship from three-point range and clean up his uncharacteristic 26.7 percent clip from distance. Should he be deemed unable to play, Kolek and McBride will likely absorb his minutes again.
