Sam Presti Breaks Down Thunder Draft

The Oklahoma City Thunder selected guard Cameron Payne with the 14th pick and center Dakari Johnson with the 48th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, it was announced by Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Payne (6-2,180) appeared in 69 games in two seasons at Murray State, averaging 18.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.81 steals in 32.4 minutes per game. As a sophomore, Payne was named the Lute Olson Player of the Year, an award given to the top NCAA Player with at least two seasons of experience after leading the Racers to a 29-6 season, which included an Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) regular-season championship and a pair of wins in the National Invitational Tournament.

During his sophomore season, the guard led the Racers to a 25-game winning streak (second longest in the nation) while averaging 20.2 points (13th in NCAA), 6.0 assists (15th in NCAA), 1.94 steals and 32.2 minutes in 35 games. He was named OVC MVP and Honorable Mention AP All-America. The Memphis, Tenn. native, appeared in 34 games as a freshman, averaging 16.8 points, 5.4 assists and 1.68 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. He was named All-OVC First Team, OVC Freshman of the Year and earned an MSU record nine OVC Freshman of the Week awards.

Johnson (7-0, 255), who helped Kentucky reach two consecutive Final Fours, appeared in 78 games during his two-year career in Lexington, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game. As a sophomore, the center helped UK to a 38-1 record including both the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament crowns, after averaging 6.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 16.3 minutes in 39 contests.

The Brooklyn, NY product, played in 39 games as a freshman averaging 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game. He tallied 10 points and seven rebounds to help UK get past Wisconsin in the 2014 National Semifinal.