Meet the OKC Thunder's 'junkyard dog' on NBA Summer League team — Caleb McConnell
SALT LAKE CITY — Caleb McConnell stripped Sixers guard Javonte Smart, and McConnell paid off the slick steal with a funky hook shot on the other end.
McConnell, who’s playing with the Thunder this summer as a non-roster invitee, made the theft look easy. It was one of a handful of eyebrow-raising defensive plays McConnell made at Salt Lake City Summer League.
If McConnell is to make an NBA roster, either in Oklahoma City or elsewhere, it’ll be on the merits of his defensive instincts. And while making the Thunder will be an uphill climb, the 6-foot-7 wing has made a strong first impression.
“He’s like a junkyard dog,” Thunder summer league coach David Akinyooye said. “He did a great job picking up full court, getting deflections, getting steals and just putting his body on the line defensively.”
McConnell was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Rutgers, but defense wasn’t always in his DNA.
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“It’s crazy, man, because in high school I was never a defensive guy,” McConnell told The Oklahoman. “I kinda hated playing defense.”
At Rutgers, where McConnell was a five-year player, he realized that improving on defense would widen his path for playing time. In practice, he started to guard Rutgers’ top scorers, Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr.
Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell took notice.
“Coach was like, oh s---, you can really do this,” McConnell said. “So now I’m starting to guard the best guys and I started taking pride in it.”
McConnell finished his college career as Rutgers’ all-time steals leader (221).
“I can read guys, I know where everyone’s supposed to be at, I know when someone’s gonna go backdoor … I think it’s just my instinct and my IQ on that end,” McConnell said.
McConnell worked out for eight teams during the pre-draft process. The first of those workouts was in Oklahoma City.
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“And I feel like that was my best workout,” McConnell said. “I feel like I was killing it.”
McConnell said he worked out in OKC with first-round picks Jett Howard and Ben Sheppard and second-rounder Maxwell Lewis, among others.
“We were getting after it,” McConnell said. “It wasn’t an easy workout at all.”
McConnell held his own, though, and he thinks that workout earned him a second look from the Thunder.
“I think that kind of persuaded them to bring me back in just to see what I can do up close,” McConnell said. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity they gave me.”
Thunder vs. Mavericks
TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas (ESPN2)
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Thunder summer leaguer Caleb McConnell became elite defender
