Adreian Payne will get a chance to play.
The Hawks will send the first-round draft pick to the NBA Development League this weekend for pair of games with Fort Wayne. Payne has been inactive in nine of the Hawks’ 10 games and has yet to play. He missed the first five games with plantar fasciitis in this left foot.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Payne said following practice Thursday. “It’s a great opportunity for me to go out and get some game reps and get ready to get back with my team. We’ve got a lot of players. We are deep. It’s just a process that you’ve got to go through. I’m willing to do it because I want to get better. I don’t see anything bad coming out of it.”
Fort Wayne will play at Erie on Friday and Saturday night. The plan is for Payne to play those games and return to the Hawks. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants won’t play again until Nov. 28 and 29.
The Hawks selected Payne with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. The forward/center has been stuck behind Al Horford, Pero Antic, Mike Muscala and Elton Brand on the 15-man roster.
Payne, 23, admitted to frustration at not playing but said he realizes it is part of the process of becoming an NBA player.
“It’s always frustrating when you are not playing,” Payne said. “It’s frustrating when you are not hurt and you are just sitting. When you are dressed and not playing, it’s frustrating. You want to go out there and play. You’ve got to deal with it as players. Everybody goes through it. I’m going through it right now.”
The Hawks have used the D-League in the past two seasons with John Jenkins, Mike Scott and Dennis Schroder all doing stints to get playing time when they could not crack the Hawks lineup. Scott and Schroder, in particular, have benefited from the minor-league stint.
Payne said he has spoken to the three recent draft picks about the experience.
“They always talk to me about it,” Payne said. “That is the thing about it. I’ve got good vets and good teammates to talk to me about it. Look at them now. They are playing and they are producing well. It looks like it’s been a good process.”
Payne practiced with the Hawks on Thursday before departing for Pennsylvania. He said he appreciated the honesty from his coaches about the length and purpose of the assignment.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has used a 10-man rotation for most the season. Brand has appeared in just two games while Muscala has appeared in three.
“The depth of our bigs is something really good for us and makes it hard on Adreian and the fans who want to see Adreian,” Budenholzer said. “There are lots of different ways to grow and develop. He is doing well in practice. He’s working his (butt) off.”
Payne played for the Hawks’ Las Vegas Summer League team in July after being drafted out of Michigan State. He started all six games and averaged 12.5 points, seven rebounds, 1.2 assists and one steals in 29 minutes.
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