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

If there is one area the Phoenix Suns seriously upgraded this season, it was at the point guard position. It took new recruit Tyus Jones just one game to break records, while Monte Morris came off the bench when called upon and was largely 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 impressions on any given night. Injuries to Beal limited his ability to do this – and while Booker had a career high in assists per game – it took away from the incredible scoring ability he has.

There’s no doubt 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 the result of some great play-off 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 in the postseason for the Suns, while 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’s return here in March this year was the most likely outcome, the fact that the Suns now have Jones and Morris is nothing short of incredible.

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

Payne alone is obviously not the reason for that – it would be unfair to blame him alone – but his start with the New York Knicks wasn’t brilliant either. There’s a noticeable drop-off when Jalen Brunson goes to the bench — which you’d obviously expect — but Payne brings little to the table when he’s there. Outside of maybe some defensive intensity/IQ games.

So far, he has scored six points and three assists in just over 16 minutes per night. Slightly less than the amount of time he averaged between Milwaukee and Philadelphia last year, and further evidence that the 30-year-old is still heading in the wrong direction in 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 place right now, they would truly have one of the best rosters in the entire league. As it is, they’re still in great shape, and yet Payne’s introduction makes them noticeably worse. It’s no surprise that Karl-Anthony Towns tends to stick with him, to give Payne an outlet to pass the ball to and get out of the way.

This may sound like an unnecessary swipe at Payne, who was once again a stalwart of the Suns. But this is his seventh team in 10 seasons — I’m close to Ish Smith’s numbers — and he’s definitely 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 full season in New York. We think we already know the answer.