Trail Blazers Player Power Rankings: Lillard-less Edition

Dec 23, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) has a shot blocked by New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) as forward Alonzo Gee (15) defends during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

2. CJ McCollum

Stats W/O Lillard: 23.3 PPG/7.3 APG/6.6 RPG

Before Sunday’s eruption against the Kings, I was tempted to put Allen Crabbe at the top spot of the rankings. Then, something magical happened in Northern California that wiped away any thoughts of placing him above CJ. L-Train may have left the station in the off-season, but McCollum was a locomotive going full steam ahead last night in Sacramento. Although he fell just shy of his highest scoring mark of 37 (on opening night), this was by far the best game of his young career. McCollum was one assist away from recording a triple-double, and led the Trail Blazers in all major categories.