1 on 1 with NBA prospect Adreian Payne

On Thursday night, Adreian Payne will hear his name called at the NBA Draft. It will mark the culmination of four years of hard work at Michigan State and an at-times difficult senior season, but the destination surely justifies the journey.

When, exactly, Payne's name will be called remains unclear, with his draft range beginning just inside the lottery and probably stopping in the early 20s. The team that selects him will be getting an NBA-ready product, one who can stretch defenses and score in a variety of ways. You can read more about Payne in our scouting report.

On Tuesday, we had the chance to catch up with Payne while he awaits the NBA Draft at the Blackberry Suite in New York.

theScore: You're two days away from a day you've dreamed about for most of your life. What's that feeling like for you, right now?

Payne: Anxious. Excited. You know, just, I'm ready. That's the main thing, just really anxious and excited that I can make this dream a reality.

theScore: Do you have family in town with you for Thursday?

Payne: For sure. And Lacey's mom is going to be there, and her husband. It's going to be a great experience and I'm glad they're going to be able to be there with me.

Payne is referring to the family of Lacey Holsworth, the eight-year-old cancer patient he and the Spartans befriended during the NCAA season. Payne received the NCAA Outreach Award in recognition of his friendship with the girl known as Princess Lacey, who sadly passed away in April.

theScore: Listening to you during the draft process, it seems like you've been more open and forthright with your answers than other prospects. Do you know why that might be?

Payne: I'm just that type of person. I feel like you should tell the truth and that's the best way to do an interview. Tell the truth and be who you are. If you don't have nothing to hide, just tell them how it is, and everything else will go how it's supposed to.

theScore: That seems a rare kind of maturity and self-awareness. Some may see that you're 23 years old, a senior, and some may consider that a negative. Can that extra maturity and experience be a strength, too?

Payne: Yeah, for sure. I definitely think it's a strength. These kids are younger than I am but they've been playing basketball longer than I have, since I didn't start until the seventh grade. So you can say that they've been playing longer than I have, and the wear and tear on their bodies is pretty much the same as mine, because they've been playing at a high level and competing all their life and I haven't. 

It's just me trying to get better and use my experience the best way I can.

theScore: Speaking of wear and tear, you dealt with mononucleosis late in the season after coming back from an injury in January. How did the lung condition effect your play and your ability to get in the weight room and stay in shape with off-court work?

Payne: Well, I didn't know I had mono during the season. I missed seven games before and that's probably when I caught the mono. But I was already out of shape because I had missed seven games, so I was trying to get back in shape and it just took longer than what it's supposed to.

I did extra cardio, and then to find out at the end of the day when you have mono you're not even supposed to work out, you're supposed to rest. And I was doing more, trying to get my conditioning back, and that was just wearing my body out. I should have just been getting rest and trying to save my energy.

theScore: Since you've recovered, has work in the gym come a little easier?

Payne: For sure. I'm definitely in better shape, much stronger. I can lift weights. At first I was really weak in the weight room, I had no strength. I really got everything back and now I'm just trying to add to it.

theScore: When you go into workouts with teams, you know what they may see as your strengths and weaknesses. Will you try to attack those perceived weaknesses, or try to play to your strengths?

Payne: I just go out there and play my game, and play my strengths. I know I can shoot the ball and I can guard. So it's just trying to go out there and show them what I can do.

I've been there for four years in college, so they pretty much know everything I can do and what I can't do. Unlike other guys that have been there for two or one year, they really can get more exposed than I could in these workouts. They've seen my growth and what I need to work on and what I didn't work on and what I got better at. 

It's really just going into workouts and just showing them what I can do and what I'm good at. Just do what I do.

theScore: In terms of what you do, the first thing people point to is your ability to stretch the floor. Is there something else in your game you consider a strength that people might not be aware of?

Payne: I think I can guard different positions and I'm a good defender. I can score in the post, inside-out. I can do a lot of things. I'm a winner, that's what I do, and you can see that from my record at Michigan State.

The Spartans went 104-41 in Payne's four years and made the Sweet 16 in three of those seasons, including a run to the Elite 8 this March.

theScore: On the defensive end, looking at tape most of your blocks come when rotating from the weak side. When you're trying to time that, is there something specific you're looking for or is it more instinctual?

Payne: It's instincts, reaction time and hand-eye coordination.

theScore: How big an adjustment will that be at the NBA level, where things will speed up?

Payne: That's what happens. You've gotta get better every year. The speed of the game is quicker, so it just takes time to adjust. If you get better every year you don't have to worry about it, but the beginning is always the hardest.

theScore: At Michigan State, you would provide help defense in the paint and provide offense from outside. Getting to see how players adjust to you as a defender, does that give you an edge when you're the offensive player, for example, anticipating a closeout or how to counter that and how the defense may react?

Payne: Yeah, but defenders, you know, there are some great defenders. The best in the league are dominant at defending. So you've gotta be able to adjust the best you can. Better offense always beats good defense.

theScore: Thanks a lot, Adreian. We appreciate the time, and good luck on Thursday.

Payne: Thank you.

Be sure to check back with theScore on Thursday night to see where Payne is drafted and where he'll begin his NBA career.