#33: CJ McCollum
CJ McCollum comes in at number 33. He ranks between Utah Jazz phenom Donovan Mitchell and Charlotte Hornets star Kemba Walker.
There’s no questioning that 2016’s Most Improved Player has become an offensive star (21.4 PPG, 4 RPG, 3.4 APG). However, his being ranked outside the top-30 is due to Golliver and Mahoney being unsure if he is suited for the number-two role behind Dame or if he would perform better leading his own team:
"In many ways, McCollum, 26, has developed into an ideal No. 2 scoring option: he can create a shot, he can run the offense for a bench-heavy lineup, he can attack mismatches, he can shoot the three, he can draw attention when he’s off the ball, and he has a good feel for when to defer versus when to take over. Despite this, Portland’s hard ceiling has led observers to wonder whether he would be better suited to running his own team or whether Lillard would be better off paired with a bigger, longer and more defensive-minded partner. Here’s a more compelling hypothetical: How far could Lillard and McCollum go together if GM Neil Olshey ever gave them a league-average supporting cast?"
With McCollum, Golliver and Mahoney knock him for the inverse of Aminu’s and Nurkic’s problems.
However, McCollum focused on improving his defense last season and found positive results. His defensive rating this season was 2.2 points per 100 possessions better than his previous one, and he and Lillard should be praised for their pushing the team to spend more time understanding the offenses they go up against.
He told Kurt Helin of NBC Sports:
"“… I think defensively understanding offenses a little better helps you be in better positions, understanding schemes, tendencies for certain players allows you to become a better defender. A lot of it is this is the NBA, guys are good and they’re going to score, you just have to make it as difficult as possible.”"
So, while McCollum could always be longer, he is becoming more defensive-minded for this Portland team. And defense has quickly become the side of the ball that the Trail Blazers can hang their hat on.
There’s plenty of cases to be made for McCollum to be slightly higher on this list, and that will especially be true if he continues to improve defensively.
But in any case, McCollum is a perennial All-Star candidate – in the West, as a guard – and a big part in making the Rip City backcourt so dynamic.