PHOENIX – The message came early during his time in Arizona, in the preseason, when Cameron Payne was doing Cameron Payne things, scoring, taking shots, probably too many. And that’s when Suns coach Monty Williams stepped in and told the point guard:
“You know who you got out there?”
Translation: Move the ball.
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Payne relayed this story on Wednesday night’s postgame radio show, minutes after the Suns had defeated Golden State 130-119 at Footprint Center, a sigh of relief after a shaky 1-3 road trip. It may not have been the Suns’ best effort of the young season, but it was the most encouraging.
This is a short-handed group. Floor-spacer Cam Johnson is out indefinitely with a right meniscus tear. Point guard Chris Paul has a right heel issue that has sidelined him for four games. Paul watched Wednesday’s contest from the last seat on the Phoenix bench. At timeouts he was more involved than an assistant coach, discussing calls with officials, talking strategy with teammates. But this is where the future Hall of Famer’s contribution ended.
And it’s where Payne’s began.
Williams said earlier Wednesday that he normally needs 20 games to fully assess a team. To see where it stands. To understand what changes are needed. Injuries, however, have made this season’s evaluation difficult. While the Suns (9-5) have looked like championship contenders with Johnson and Paul, they are still finding their way without them. Losing at struggling Orlando last week proves as much.
That’s why Wednesday’s effort stood out. It wasn’t so much about Phoenix’s core matching up with Golden State’s, a showdown of last season’s top teams in the West. It was about Torrey Craig, thrust into the starting five after Johnson’s injury, making hustle plays, grabbing 10 rebounds and hitting corner jump shots. Playing his role perfectly, “Torrey was huge,” Williams said.
And it was about Payne, coming off a 4-of-17 shooting performance in Monday’s loss at Miami, impacting the game in his usual high-energy way, but with better efficiency. Paul always will be missed, but on this night Payne had everything under control.
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“He hooped,” Suns forward Mikal Bridges said. “Playing with pace. He’s worked so hard. I’ve known him for all these years and (seen) how hard he works – he’s stepping up.”
Since he came to Phoenix in 2019, Payne’s role as a backup point guard mostly has been to provide scoring. It’s how Payne is wired. In the 2021 Western Conference semifinals against the Lakers, the Murray State product averaged 12.5 points. He later scored 29 against the Clippers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
Against Golden State, Payne opened with a simple mindset. He just wanted to be solid. Focus on defense. Eliminate turnovers. He was his normal turbo self, but he played with better balance. Payne opened the third quarter with a 3. He took a charge in the lane. He lobbed a pass to Deandre Ayton for a dunk. Payne finished with 29 points and a season-best seven assists. He shot 9 of 17 from the field, making 6 of 10 from 3-point range. He had two turnovers in 33 minutes.
Payne wasn’t Chris Paul, but he didn’t have to be.
“That’s probably a misconception when you call a (point guard) a ‘scorer,’’’ Williams said. “You tend to think they’re selfish or aggressive all the time. I wouldn’t say that about Cam. There’s games where he has seven-plus assists and he still has the scoring that complements that. I like him being ‘score aggressive,’ but I also understand that he can do both. And we need it with Chris out.”
The final box score reflected as much. The Suns were efficient, shooting 51.2 percent. They moved the ball, leading to open shots and a season-high 21 3-pointers. They dished a season-best 33 assists. Everyone in the starting lineup had at least two. Standout guard Devin Booker had nine. So did Bridges, which the Suns found amusing.
“I didn’t even know he could pass,” Booker said. “For real.”
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“For Mikal to have nine assists,” Williams told reporters, “that’s a feat, because usually he’s shooting. You should tweet that.”
The Suns were so balanced — no one attempted more than 17 shots — they didn’t need Booker to be Superman, trying to match Stephen Curry, who put up 50 points. (Although that would’ve been something to see.) Phoenix didn’t even need to rely on Booker. Maybe a little but not in a rescue-us kind of way. The All-Star guard finished with 27 points, 16 coming in the first half. By the time Booker swished his first 3, with 40 seconds left in the third quarter, his teammates already had made 15.
“When you don’t pass the ball in our program, it’s deflating,” Williams said. “Everybody on the floor, on the bench, we all feel it.”
The Suns may not be at full strength for a while. They haven’t disclosed a timetable for Johnson, who had surgery Nov. 8, but it could be at least another month. Paul, who injured his heel in last week’s loss at Philadelphia, officially is day-to-day. But on his weekly radio show, general manger James Jones said the Suns would be “cautious,” with the veteran point guard, keeping the long term in mind.
This gives players like Payne and Craig, and to some extent Bridges, time to adapt to different roles, bigger responsibilities, developments that could benefit the Suns in the months ahead. Developments that were on display in Wednesday night’s win.
(Top photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Doug Haller is a senior writer based in Arizona. He previously worked 13 years at The Arizona Republic, where he covered three Final Fours and four football national championship games. He is a five-time winner of the Arizona Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow Doug on Twitter @DougHaller
