Ray McCallum is on the outside looking in.
This is not how anyone expected the season to go for the former Detroit Mercy star. After a strong showing late last season when starter Isaiah Thomas went down with an injury, McCallum looked like a second round steal for the Sacramento Kings.
“We all remember last year in those last games when Isaiah (Thomas) was out,” head coach Michael Malone said earlier this month. “What Ray was able to do in the minutes he played was really impressive. That assist to turnover ratio was unbelieveable.”
In Summer League, McCallum showed he was ready to run a team, taking the Kings all the way to the title and winning the final game MVP. But that was just summer league.
There is a new plan in place in Sacramento. A season ago, wins and losses were secondary to rebuilding the talent base and culture of a franchise coming out of massive turmoil. In year two, ownership is expecting more from top to bottom.
In response to the new edict, general manager Pete D’Alessandro moved starting point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Phoenix Suns and brought in veterans Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions.
McCallum has quickly gone from up and comer to the fifth guard on the Kings roster, but coming into training camp, that wasn’t necessarily the plan.
“He’s going to keep on fighting,” Malone said early on. “I want Ray to not concede anything. No one should concede anything. This is open.”
Through the Sacramento Kings first three preseason games, McCallum has two DNP-CDs and in the third game, he played the final 3:32 of the game. He has yet to score or hand out an assist. He is out of the Kings nine man rotation and while his roster spot is secure for now, nothing is for sure.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for a young player, but the decision is someone else’s and the 23-year-old point guard understands that.
“There are some things you just can’t control,” McCallum told Cowbell Kingdom during media day. “The one thing I know I can control is my game. Having the confidence in myself to go out there and compete everyday. I take a lot of pride and I’m a true competitor.”
After the All-Star break last season, the Kings had no option but to turn to the inexperienced McCallum. With Greivis Vasquez dealt to the Raptors and Jimmer Fredette waived on February 27th, McCallum was the lone reserve behind Thomas.
When Thomas went down with a deep thigh bruise, McCallum went from inexperienced reserve to 45 minute per game starter. During a 10 game stretch of starts late last season, McCallum averaged 13.8 points and 7.3 assists in 44.6 minutes per game. He was thrown into the fire and he responded with solid, if not exceptional play considering the circumstance.
McCallum sees the competition in front of him. He has worked this summer on improving his overall game, including working off the ball. With Collison and Sessions in tow, the easiest way to get minutes might be against a pair of 21-year-old shooting guards in Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas.
“I’m just a basketball player,” McCallum added. “Any position, I go out there and do what’s best for the team. I just want to be on that court and go out there and try and help my team try and win.”
It looks like a tough road ahead for the 6-foot-3 sophomore guard. He was sent to Reno to play with the Bighorns twice last season and may face a similar fate this year, barring an unforeseen injury.
“I have a lot of high expectations,” McCallum said. “Having all the experience I did last year and using that as a learning tool, I’ll just be prepared to play and compete this year.”
McCallum sounds ready for the challenge. When given the opportunity, he has shined, but this is a different looking roster than previous seasons. It is a veteran team and as of now, McCallum is the odd man out.
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