CJ McCollum, 31 years old and a decade into his NBA career, is trying his best to be calm amid the chaos
, their thermonuclear scoring machine, has been on the sidelines since Jan. 2 because of a hamstring injury.
“It’s an honor to even be mentioned in these conversations,” McCollum says. “I’m just thankful to be able to go compete, man, whether that’s first option, second option, third option. I just love to compete. … I would say that I’ve consistently delivered, in terms of trying to help impact winning. And I think a lot of coaches or teams around the league are seeing that.”
With Ingram and Jones back, and Williamson on the mend, the Pelicans fully expect to replicate those results over the season’s final 10 weeks. All McCollum has to do is strike the right scoring and playmaking balance with his two precocious co-stars, impart as much wisdom as he can to this young roster and coax enough sound play to make the Pelicans a true force this spring.
“He’s actually been exactly what we thought he was,” David Griffin, the Pelicans’ executive vice president, says of McCollum. “He has a really good feel of who he is, what his game is. I think it’s been an adjustment for him, in terms of figuring out how much to keep the ball, how quickly to get off the ball.”
McCollum has seamlessly adjusted to his role as the Pelicans’ veteran leader while playing nearly as many games as Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram combined.Griffin had pursued McCollum for years, but the Blazers under general manager Neil Olshey had consistently rebuffed all trade inquiries. That stance changed after Joe Cronin replaced Olshey in December 2021.
“I like to keep my expectations internal,” Green says. “I have a vision of what I believe we can be. We just haven’t been healthy enough for it to happen. … I think sky’s the limit if we do.”
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