Payne is a guy who jumped onto our radar after a fairly dominant showing at the Pro Skills’ DMV High-Academic Showcase this summer. He’s the type of prospect who you check back on in a few years and see he’s put together a productive college career somewhere at the DII or DIII level. He has good mobility at 6-foot-7 and range on his jumper to extend out to three if he has time and space. He’s at his best operating with his back to the basket on the block or along the baseline where he can utilize his fundamental footwork to create angles. He’s a willing rebounder, showed awareness and communications skills defensively while being an active screener offensively to help spark advantages.

-Payne debuts at 240 behind a strong showing at the PSB High Academic showcase as a mobile forward that is super active on the glass. Payne came up with some tough rebounds in traffic and earned several trips to the charity stripe while running the floor effectively as a roll target. Came away impressed with his footwork in the post but want to see him work on his weak hand around the basket to accentuate his skill base. His jumper looked consistent out to 18 feet and he also served as a willing passer in a showcase environment that doesn’t always have that type of player competing. Look forward to watching him again with his HS team!

-Pretty skilled big that can put the ball on the floor or step out to knock down jumpers from the perimeter. While I wouldn’t call him explosive or quick, he has the positioning feel to know how to beat his matchup to the spot to force them to pick up their dribble or retreat back to the perimeter. Decent finisher around the rim that uses his pivot well to find better finishing angles around the basket. Good touch around the basket with either hand. Has all of the ball skills to be successful and seemed extremely coachable and open-minded throughout the event.