The Phoenix Suns ruled out point guard Cam Payne shortly before Friday’s tip-off in Utah against the Jazz due to right knee soreness.

Payne has missed time this season due to a right hamstring strain in November and sprained right wrist from late January to early March but has not missed time yet this year because of his right knee. The last game the point guard missed was on March 20 for a non-COVID illness. He was not listed on any previous iterations of the injury report.

The 27-year-old has bounced back from a below average start to the season. He thrived in place of starting point guard Chris Paul when Paul was out for 15 games after the All-Star break due to an avulsion fracture in his right thumb.

Payne in 18 games since the break has averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game with only 1.8 turnovers a night. His shooting percentages are still down, though, at 41.8% from the field and 33.8% at 3-point range across that time.

Head coach Monty Williams has previously played Elfrid Payton as the third-string point guard the last two weeks, a change after Aaron Holiday took over that spot in late February.

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