While certainly not the biggest name in this game,
Earl Calloway was without a doubt the key to the blowout victory this no-name group assembled by the Indiana Pacers delivered over the much more talented Oklahoma City roster.
A skinny 6-2 point guard out of Indiana, Calloway spent the last year biding his team in the D-League with Fort Wayne, where he quietly established himself as one of the most improved players throughout the course of the season. Hes one of those late-bloomers who nothing has come easy for, but he surely opened up some eyes (both NBA and International) with his performance-- going toe to toe with
Russell Westbrook in day one.
Calloway is a quick and very crafty point guard who does a great job mixing up his scoring with his passing. Hes excellent in transition and very smart getting into the paint, where he likes to finish with a pretty floater with either hand. He can come off a screen and knock down a 3-pointer (showcasing a very quick release), and can also pull-up off the dribble from mid-range if the situation calls for it. He runs the pick and roll well and is not a selfish player in the least bit, looking more than capable of finding the open man, even if he might not be the most instinctive playmaker around (not a shock considering his sparse experience level). On the downside, he is so aggressive with the ball that he may be liable to make some mistakes at times, and his lack of frame hurts him when trying to finish around the basket against bigger players at timeseven if hell rarely back down.
Defensively is where Calloway needs to improve the most. He doesnt have much of a presence at all at this time on this end of the floor, struggling to fight through screens, not using his length effectively to contest shots, and being liable to get pushed around due to his lack of bulk.
Not a big name at all coming into this summer league, Calloway has a real chance to help his stock both for the NBA and Europe running the show for Indianaand is surely doing so thus far. It seems like the NBA is his definite goal for right now, even if its pretty clear he will have a good amount of options in Europe as well as the summer rolls on. Well have a better opinion on what type of NBA prospect he is after we see him a few more times here.
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