Cam Payne's Impact Still Being Felt by Knicks

On Dec. 23, Cam Payne officially joined Partizan Belgrade in the EuroLeague. This comes after weeks waiting at home for an NBA offer following an up and down season with the New York Knicks as Jalen Brunson’s backup.

The journeyman point guard averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 assists in 72 games across 15.1 minutes -seventh highest on the team- with the Knicks, his seventh team in ten years. Payne gave Knicks fans a forever heat check in Game 1 of the opening round against the Detroit Pistons, where 11 of his 14 points came in the 4th quarter, and he was a game high +23 in 15 minutes.

Cam Payne Had His Moments As a Knick

Payne was a solid enough innings eater during the regular season at best. During the Knicks Conference Finals matchup with the Pacers, he lost his spot in the lineup with Tom Thibodeau inserting Landry Shamet and Delon Wright into the rotation.

It was easy to downplay the team’s second unit woes, which at 21.7 points a game was the lowest in the league, thanks to a 51-31 record. Meanwhile, vanquishing on Thibodeau’s bench was rookie Tyler Kolek. The fellow southpaw played less than 300 minutes on the season and was mostly used a human victory cigar.

Fast forward to yesterday and Kolek saved Christmas for Knicks fans. The Marquette product scored 11 of his 16 points during a 4th quarter rally that saw New York erase a 17-point deficit, the largest comeback in a Christmas Day game in the play-by-play era.

Dec 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) reacts after making a three point basket during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Knicks Bench Spearheaded Another 4th Quarter Comeback

The 24-year-old was +24 in 25 minutes, swiped the ball out of Donovan Mitchell’s hands as he went to dunk in the last two minutes and had the Garden faithful chanting his name. After the 126-124 victory, Kolek referred to his mantra off the bench that he learned from Payne last year.

"Change the game,” Kolek told reporters.

Tyler Kolek has a mantra off the bench that he adopted from Cam Payne:

"Change the game" pic.twitter.com/zc7Mu3oDdT
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 25, 2025

Payne was a catalyst for pace and transition last year, especially when paired with Karl-Anthony Towns on the second unit. He was also a trusted voice in the locker room. But it was time to move on in the off-season.

The No. 14 pick in the 2015 draft snagged a training camp contract with the Pacers after T.J. McConnell went down with a hamstring strain and Wright suffered a head injury. He was waived nine days later. The Knicks moved on by signing sharpshooter Jordan Clarkson, who isn’t a traditional point guard, leaving questions as to who would be the captain’s backup.

The answer was here the whole time. The in-house emergence of Kolek has been a revelation for the Knicks bench. While the sophomore's play of late has been a huge upgrade over what Payne offered the team last year, the cagey veteran's voice still resonates.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!