LB Big Board: Cameron Payne Grabs 13th

The voting for the Liberty Ballers Big Board now begins to muddy, as Cameron Payne out of Murray State received just 20% of the vote over the weekend with very few percentage points separating him from similar late-lottery-to-mid-first prospects like Trey Lyles (16%), Devin Booker (14%), Kevon Looney (13%) and Jerian Grant (11%).

This seems like a scenario where the consensus' favorite, lottery-guaranteed prospects like Justise Winslow, Mario Hezonja and Stanley Johnson are now off the board, leaving a ton of leeway for the LB readers to rifle through the field and make a decision likely based on who's college games or Draft Express videos they watched most intently.

Payne is fine choice at 13th though. I'm fairly high on him and did a pseudo-scouting report on the the point guard two weeks ago when I picked him for the Pacers in the Liberty Ballers mock draft. Here's an excerpt from that article:

Cameron Payne out of Murray State is the latest in now what seems like the annual rise of a mid-major point guard up big boards and mock drafts, the same way Elfrid Payton and Damian Lillard did in years prior on their way to becoming top-10 selections. The chart below illustrates how Payne, along with the two and the Murray State Racers point guard Payne succeeded, Sixers gunner Isaiah Canaan, fared during their sophomore seasons:

Player	Year	School	MP	TS%	FTr	3PAr	P/40	R/40	A/40
Damian Lillard	2009-10	Weber State	1062	.594	.445	.499	23.2	4.7	4.2
Isaiah Canaan	2010-11	Murray State	900	.571	.465	.535	16.7	2.7	3.4
Elfrid Payton	2012-13	Louisiana-Lafayette	1171	.532	.533	.127	17.9	6.3	6.2
Cameron Payne	2014-15	Murray State	1127	.573	.315	.415	25.1	4.6	7.4

The rest of that piece is filled with campaign/campayne jokes and reworked lyrics to Cam'ron's "Hey Ma," a true Liberty Ballers anthem.

As for where the voting goes from here, I'll take Kevon Looney. He has top-10 talent. He knocked down 41.5% of his threes, though that came on just 53 attempts, while spending time at the power forward spot on an undersized and underachieving UCLA squad. Standing 6'9" with a 7'3.5" wingspan, he possesses the length necessary to guard multiple positions defensively and spend time both on the perimeter and down low offensively, versatility needed in a league where small-ball lineups are increasingly prevalent. 

Looney does have asthma unfortunately, a condition that will likely keep him out of the lottery now despite his top-14 status all season long, but with a lack of clear contributors at this point in the draft, gambling on Looney would make sense and also fit the 76ers' mold.

With voting still scattered, I won't add another player to the plethora of options still available. Let us know if you think any other players should be though.

Vote or Die.