Name: Ray McCallum
Age: 21 (will be 22 by draft)
Height: 6-foot-2
Position: Point Guard
School/Country: Detroit
Latest Stats: 18.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.9 spg
Ray McCallum came out of high school as one of the top prospects in his graduating class. He made the decision to play for his father at Detroit and over each of the past three seasons, he has simply shined in the Horizon League. McCallum is a dynamite scorer, but he has proven the ability to stuff the stat sheet in a variety of ways.
McCallum made the decision to enter his name into the 2013 NBA Draft just prior to the league’s deadline on early entrants, forgoing his senior season in the process. While McCallum is not listed amongst the top point guards in this year’s draft pool, he is certainly up there in terms of those who have the ability to score the basketball. At this point, McCallum is looking like a late second round selection, but he should hear his name called on the final Thursday in June.
Strengths: McCallum’s best attribute is his scoring ability. He is a crafty ball handler and a natural leader, but what he does best is score in variety of ways which makes him that much tougher to defend and slow down. McCallum loves to attack in transition and he can attack the rim in the half court, as well. At 6-foot-2, McCallum may be a bit under-sized, but he has shown a special knack of drawing contact and getting to the free throw line.
Weaknesses: McCallum is a score-first point guard, which is great, but he needs to develop more all-around skills for his position. While McCallum is used to playing his brand of basketball, he must make adjustments for the NBA level — simply put, he’s not going to be the guy anymore. He shot 32.3% from beyond the arc during the 2012-13 season and although that was a career-high it’s something that needs to be improved upon at the next level.
Draft Projection: Late Second Round
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
