Last season point guard Ray McCallum was given a great opportunity to play significant minutes and show what he can do at the NBA level with the Sacramento Kings. This offseason though, McCallum was traded to the San Antonio Spurs to be their third point guard and so far that has not translated to much playing time at all. Typically young players want to be on the floor and proving themselves but McCallum is viewing this as a great opportunity for himself, according to Matt Kawahara of the Sacramento Bee.
McCallum took over for Darren Collison as the starting point guard for the final 30 games last season in Sacramento after Collison got hurt. In those 30 games McCallum played well as he averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 assists so it seemed like he was poised for a breakout this season but he is now buried on the depth chart in San Antonio.
Instead of feeling sorry for himself McCallum has viewed this is a learning experience and that is a great way to think about it. The Spurs are one of the best organizations in sports after all and they have been known to take unheralded players and turn them into key contributors. It also helps that the 24 year old will be learning from Tony Parker who is one of the best point guards of this generation.
"I feel like I'm in a great situation. I'm happy to be with the Spurs, feel like I have a great opportunity to learn and get better. Going to a team like the Spurs early in my career I think is going to help me in the long run, because of the great players around me and the coaches. I'm trying to soak up all the knowledge I can," said McCallum.
So far this season McCallum has only appeared in four games for the Spurs and has seen a total of 15 minutes. He is behind Parker and Patty Mills on the point guard depth chart so while he is likely learning a lot he is not getting the chance to apply it on the court. McCallum is set to become a restricted free agent after this season and unfortunately for him being on the Spurs roster isn't enough to increase your value in the NBA.
In the long run McCallum may end up being right that being on the Spurs as a young player helped him become better later in his career but for now he is riding the bench and likely not going to get too much interest as a free agent next summer. The good news is the Spurs obviously like him and they may be grooming him for a bigger role as this season progresses or in future seasons.
