Cameron Payne Injury: Updates on Thunder Guard's Foot and Return

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Cameron Payne suffered an acute fracture in his right foot during a team scrimmage on Sept. 27. The timetable for his return is uncertain. 

Continue for updates.

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Presti Comments on Payne's Recovery

Tuesday, Oct. 4

Thunder GM Sam Presti released a statement on Payne's recovery, per Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript:

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"Over the last several days, Cameron has had consultations with multiple specialists to determine the best course of action to treat his right foot injury," Presti's statement reads. "Based on these consultations and the options provided, Cameron has chosen to pursue a non-surgical route provided by the physicians that is intended to ideally allow the bone to heal on its own and avoid surgery. 

"Cameron, his representatives, and the Thunder fully understand that if the bone is not healing appropriately, or if at any point there is a setback in his return to play, surgery may still be required. He will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks."

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Payne No Stranger to Injuries

Royce Young of ESPN.com noted that the 22-year-old second-year guard underwent surgery in July to repair a Jones fracture in the same foot. Horne stated that the latest ailment is unrelated to that previous procedure, even though it occurred in the same metatarsal.

Payne told Horne earlier in September that he was already making steady progress in his comeback from the prior issue with an eye toward being ready for camp. "I'm getting back into things," Payne said. "I'm shooting, jumping around, running. Everything's been going great."

Now, less than a week into the team's preseason preparations, his status is once again up in the air. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported that the guard is expected to visit specialists this week to determine the severity of the injury.

Payne averaged 5.0 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in limited duty across 57 games during his rookie campaign with the Thunder. The Murray State product is expected to retain his place as the chief backup to Russell Westbrook if healthy.

Ronnie Price and Semaj Christon figure to battle for position on the depth chart during training camp and the preseason in case Payne's latest foot injury lingers into the regular season.