Piston Profile: Ray McCallum Jr.
The Piston Profile Series will take a look at six of the newest additions to the 2016-2017 Detroit Pistons training camp roster as we inch towards the finish line of the NBA offseason.
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 190 lbs
Birthdate: June 12, 1991
High School: Detroit Country Day
College: University of Detroit Mercy
College Career Statistics:
| College | Seasons | G | PPG | APG | RPG |
| University of Detroit Mercy Titans | 3 | 102 | 15.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
Draft: Selected 36th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings
Experience: 3 years
D-League Teams:
- Reno Bighorns (7 games) (2013-2014)
- Austin Spurs (9 games) (2015-2016)
D-League Career Statistics:
| Team | Season | G | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PPG | APG | RPG |
| Reno Bighorns | 2013-2014 | 7 | 46.2 | 39.3 | 67.9 | 20 | 4.3 | 3.4 |
| Austin Spurs | 2015-2016 | 9 | 43.1 | 37.5 | 75 | 17.1 | 4.8 | 3.9 |
Career Statistics:
| Team | Season | G | GS | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PPG | APG | RPG |
| Sacramento Kings | 2013-2014 | 45 | 10 | 37.7 | 37.3 | 74.4 | 6.2 | 2.7 | 1.8 |
| Sacramento Kings | 2014-2015 | 68 | 30 | 43.8 | 30.6 | 67.9 | 7.4 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 2015-2016 | 31 | 3 | 40.3 | 31.3 | 90 (9/10) | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 2015-2016 | 10 | 3 | 35.4 | 38.5 | 60 (3/5) | 6.9 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
Career Summary
Ray McCallum started off his NBA career being selected 36th overall in the 2013 Draft by the Sacramento Kings. McCallum played 113 career games (started 40 games) during his first two seasons in the NBA with the Kings.
While spending most of his time after being drafted, in the NBA, McCallum did spend a decent chunk of time playing in the NBA D-League. During his rookie season, he split time with the Sacramento Kings and their D-League affiliate the Reno Bighorns (7 games). Heading into his sophomore season with Sacramento, McCallum put up career averages across the board. Playing a career high 68 games with the Kings in 2014-15, while starting 30 of them due to injury to their starting point guard, Darren Collison.
The summer after his career year, the Sacramento Kings decided to ship out McCallum, rather than guarantee the third year on his rookie deal. The Kings shipped the young guard to the Western Conference power, the San Antonio Spurs, in exchange for a future second rounder. Although from a numbers stand point McCallum seemed to improve from years one to two, it became apparent in the summer of 2015 that the Kings felt they needed to address their backup point guard spot behind Darren Collison even before their eventual pursuit Rajon Rondo.
The logic behind the deal for the Spurs was to help fill the void left by the recently departed Cory Joseph (signed with the Toronto Raptors in 2015). McCallum played a total of 31 (3 starts) games with the Spurs in 2015-16. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.1 assists, and 1 rebound per game in an average of 8.3 minutes a contest. His Spurs career came to an end on February 29th, 2016 when San Antonio announced they had waived McCallum to free up a roster spot.
He would not have to wait long for his next opportunity, signing a ten-day contract with the injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies on March 12, 2016. McCallum would survive his first ten-day stint with Memphis, and be rewarded with a second ten-day contract, which became official on March 22, 2016. However, like his Spurs career, it came to an abrupt end when the Grizzlies decided to not sign him for the remainder of the year. McCallum was released after the expiration of his second 10-day deal in favor of Bryce Cotton out of Providence College.
Ray McCallum Jr. signed a one year, non-guaranteed deal with the Detroit Pistons, as reported by Rod Beard of the Detroit News, on July 25th of this year.
Confirmed: #Pistons have agreed with @RayMac3, on a one -year, non-guaranteed deal.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) July 25, 2016
Pistons Outlook
After stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies during the 2015-16 campaign, McCallum’s deal signals a battle for the third string point guard spot between himself and current Piston Lorenzo Brown during training camp.
Related Story: Does Lorenzo Brown have a case to make the Pistons' roster?
A slight advantage should be given to Brown at this juncture due to his familiarity with the organization. Brown signed a couple of ten-day deals near the end of the 2015-16 season that led to the Pistons signing him for the remainder of the season on April 13th, making him playoff eligible.
Along with that, Brown spent his offseason playing in the Orlando Pro Summer League with the Pistons. Where he helped his stock rise with some very solid play in the absence of 2016 2nd Round pick Michael Gbinije (49th overall) due to an ankle injury that sidelined him after just one game. Everything is up in the air until training camp opens in early October, but the third string point guard battle will be one to watch as Brown and McCallum battle it out.