Player Preview: The backup point guard we didn’t know we wanted or needed?

When the Knicks signed Cameron Payne to a one-year $3.1 million deal in July, the initial reactions were mixed. While some fans were optimistically excited about what the veteran guard could bring, the majority of the fanbase was confused, if not downright upset, at the signing. Payne, who fans just saw play for the hated Sixers in the playoffs, was coming into a situation that, at the time, had very little playing time for him with Deuce McBride, and one of Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart slotted in as the backup guards. So bringing him in when the team needed more forward and center depth seemed like a head-scratcher at best, and a mistake at worst.

But when New York pulled off the…