Ask anybody who has been involved with the NBA which position is toughest for a young player to grasp and they’ll usually tell you a point guard has the toughest adjustment when they enter the league. Between having to guard some of the quickest players in the league on the defensive end and then running your teams offensive sets on the other end of the court, playing the point in the NBA is a daunting task. While some players like Jason Kidd and Chris Paul grasp things instantly, it takes most point guards a couple of seasons to hit their strides.

Jose Calderon is no different. Despite having success late last season and so far this season, the start of his career had it’s share of speed bumps. During his rookie season, Calderon averaged a modest 5.5 points and  4.5 assists while averaging 23.2 minutes per game. Those numbers are decent, but the 16.3% he shot from beyond the arc were concerning. By his second season his averaged rose to 33.3% and last season he shot a respectable 42.9% from beyond the arc.

Now in his fourth season and firmly entrenched as the Toronto Raptors starting point guard, he’s shown considerable growth across the board each season.

“I think during his first year here, I wouldn’t say it was a successful year,” Triano admitted to the media before the team’s recent west coast trip. “But, I remember helping to do the (end of season) evaluations and we gave him a list of 10 things he had to get better at. As coaches we wrote them all down and gave them to him and then next year when we came back and went over the same template to do it again, we went over the things we still had to work on and he had accomplished every one of them. That’s why he had such a great year. He’s a student of the game and if you ask him to do something he’s going to get better at it. And he’s proven that. When you’re an NBA player and you keep wanting to keep better and you keep striving to be a better player, it’ll happen for you.”

After posting modest numbers as a rookie, Calderon’s currently among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.35) while ranking third in the NBA in assists (8.7). While he doesn’t score as much as point guards Devin Harris or Chris Paul, he does a great job of running the Raptors offensive, gets his teammates touches and rarely turns over the ball.

With gaudy stats like that, does it mean he’s improved enough to warrant consideration to play in the All-Star game this season? His new head coach thinks so.

“I think he’s up there right now,” Triano said while grinning. “He’s on the All-Star ballot and think that says a lot right there. His assist-to-turnover ratio is really high and we’re asking him to play a different style than he’s used to. So, I think him evolving into the style and system we’re playing now where he will be able to push the ball a little more and create easier baskets for his teammates that will just make him even better.”

While some of his stats may back up Triano’s claim, many of Calderon’s detractors will point to his defensive limitations or lack of scoring as a reason why he won’t be playing in Phoenix this February. While Calderon would brush off the snub - much like he did last season when this happened - it doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy of playing with the games elite during All-Star weekend.

It might have taken Calderon a couple of seasons to find his groove in the NBA, but it’s clear he has established himself as one of the top assist men in the NBA.

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media