Two Days.
Kings fans have less than 48 hours to learn the first – of many – lineup combinations Sacramento Head Coach Michael Malone will place on the floor for the first preseason game.
“What I’m looking for, to be honest, is to transfer everything that we’ve been working on and teaching both offensively and defensively to [the game],” he stated after Friday’s practice.
Sunday’s opener in Vancouver against the Raptors will feature many key positional strategies, including aligning the Kings deep point guard rotation.
Entering his second season, Ray McCallum isn’t worried about who locks down the starting spot come October 29th, but rather how he can help his team right now.
“My goal – all year – is to come out here and compete and get better for myself and for the team,” said No. 3. “There’s a lot of things that you can’t control, but the one thing I know you can always control is how hard you work. That’s something I’ll never lose.”
Following the footsteps of his veteran teammates, the Detroit Mercy product can be routinely found after practice still working on his perimeter shooting with the assistant coaches. Whether he’s joined by his fellow backcourt brothers – as is often the case – or he’s draining long-range buckets alone, the sophomore guard is determined to get better.
“I feel good out there, really comfortable,” stated McCallum. “Having all that experience from last year and having a year under my belt – it’s been fun and I feel like I am a much improved player from last year.”
Rookie Learns the Ropes:
During his first year in the black and purple, McCallum shined brightest when his name was in the starting lineup. In 10 starts last year, he averaged 13.8 points, 7.3 assists and just 1.9 turnovers per matchup.
This past offseason, the Motor City native continued to hone his skills and showed why he is one of the up-and-coming skill players in the League during Summer League action. In six outings, McCallum averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4.1 assists, yet he saved his best for last, scoring a game-high 29 points against Houston en route to Championship-game MVP honors.
“I felt like we did a pretty good job in Summer League – we were able to come out on top and win it and I felt like I got a lot better,” he admitted. “I put a lot of hard work in and I can feel a difference in my game this year compared to last year.”
McCallum’s July repertoire featured steady court awareness and an robust explosiveness on offense. On July 14th, the 6-foot-3 guard racked up 12 assists against the D-League select team before tallying a pair of double-digit scoring outings and shooting 56-percent (14-for-25) to close out summer competition.
When asked about the qualities he looks for in a starting point guard, Malone referenced both of those traits.
“We want a guy who’s going to run his team,” the second-year coach began, “push the ball, look for early attack opportunities, if not, then get us organized into a set, be a facilitator, he has to be able to guard his position, pick the ball up full-court – pressure, but contain – and he has to be able to knock down his shots and make his free throws, value and share the ball.”
With a full year under his belt, McCallum is poised for a strong season as he continues his development in Sacramento’s backcourt.
“The experience I had last year gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “[Now, I jut want to] come out here, compete and leave it all on the floor.”