The former point guard’s struggles prove the Suns were right to drop him

If there’s one area the Phoenix Suns seriously upgraded in the offseason, it was at the point guard position. It only took new recruit Tyus Jones a single game to start breaking records, while Monte Morris has come off the bench when called upon and largely been reliable in a small role.

This is a far cry from a season ago, when Devin Booker and Bradley Beal were each trying to do their best Chris Paul impression on any given night. Injuries to Beal limited his ability to do this — and although Booker had a career high in assists per game. match – it took away the incredible scoring ability he has.

There’s no question the Suns could have brought Payne back this summer, and a small portion of the fan base in The Valley actively wanted the organization to do so. The reason for this was as a result of a few nice playoff moments for the team in the past, which can never be taken away from Payne.

Like him or not, he stood up and was counted on in the postseason for the Suns, and the same couldn’t be said for many other role players during their time in Phoenix. But when you consider that the prospect of Payne returning was the most likely outcome here as recently as March of this year, the fact that the Suns now have Jones and Morris is frankly incredible.

Payne split last season between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers, and neither felt comfortable keeping him long-term. He managed 10 starts between both franchises, and it’s perhaps no surprise that neither had the kind of season they had hoped for.

Payne alone obviously isn’t the reason for that — it would be unfair to place that level of blame on him alone — but his start with the New York Knicks hasn’t been stellar either. There’s a noticeable drop off when Jalen Brunson goes to the bench — which you’d obviously expect — but Payne brings a little to the table when he’s out there. Outside of maybe some defensive intensity/IQ plays.

So far, he has collected six points and three assists in just over 16 minutes per game. night. Slightly down on the amount of time he averaged between Milwaukee and Philadelphia last year, and further evidence that the 30-year-old continues to trend in the wrong direction around the league. He is not a very good defender with a streaky shot, although he has always been a willing passer.

If the Knicks had Jones in his place right now, they would truly have one of the best rosters in the entire league. As it is, they are still in good shape, and yet the introduction of Payne makes them noticeably worse. It’s no surprise that Karl-Anthony Towns tends to stay out there with him, to give Payne and outlet to pass the ball to and get out of the way.

This might sound like an unnecessary dig at Payne, who was once again a loyal servant to the Suns. But this is his seventh team in 10 seasons — approaching Ish Smith’s numbers — and he’s certainly not missed in Phoenix. While they are moving in the right direction with their own improved floor generals, it will be telling to see if Payne lasts the entire season in New York. We think we already know the answer.