“NBA Journeyman finds his home with the New York Knicks”

New York Knicks reserve Cameron Payne is well used to the in-game tribute video.

After playing for seven teams in the NBA for over a decade, every other night is a homecoming for the 2015 first-rounder. He got another on Wednesday when the visitors’ locker room at the Footprint Center announced his return, as well as that of Mikal Bridges, when the Knicks came to the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns.

But Payne is making the most of his last chance, mastering the Metropolis’ depth at a time when it is relatively depleted: Since returning from a hamstring problem that cost him four games, Payne is averaging 10.3 points in relief achieved, most of which he earned with a 53.3 percent success rate from three-point range.

“He brings energy,” praised point guard and captain Jalen Brunson, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. “Maybe he plays a lot. He may not play much. But his energy is always there and he’s a great teammate and I hate playing against him. But honestly, it was great to have him as a teammate.”

It was difficult to make an informed assessment of Payne’s progress with the Knicks during the preseason: He was slotted in for minutes behind Brunson amid a relative gridlock on the courts and faced the prospect of competing with incumbents (Miles McBride) and newcomers ( Tyler) to wrestle Kolek) equally.

But with McBride sidelined by his own injury issues, Payne has made a lasting impression in the early going, with New York at 5-1 when posting a positive plus/minus. While the Knicks (9-6) have routinely struggled to score consistently off the bench since losing reliable Immanuel Quickley, Payne has stemmed the early bleeding.

“All the things Cam went through helped him and he responded,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said, according to Popper. “No matter what adversity came his way, he always found a way to overcome it. Now he has established himself as a really good player in this league. So he contributed a lot to our team.”

Payne will likely continue to be the first man off the Knicks’ bench while McBride is out. A long road trip continues Saturday against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City (5 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).

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