The Starters NBA TV show and podcast has turned a few player interviews into dynamite performances. Which Blazer could most use a bump to his game?
Fans of “The Starters” NBA TV show and podcast will be familiar with the games, trivia quizzes, and on-air hijinx the foursome provides. In a recent episode of the show, the Starters asked which NBA player could use #TheStarters Bump.
For those who don’t devour NBA podcasts on their commutes (why not?) like I do, the Bump in question is what occurs after the Starters interview an NBA player on their show. It’s often someone from the Atlanta Hawks, as the Starters is recorded in Atlanta.
Here’s the phenomenon in a nutshell: After the Starters interview a player on their show, that same player goes on to ball out in the next game. For example, Sacramento Kings rookie Marvin Bagley III visited the Starters on Halloween and the next day scored 18 in a 31-point victory; John Collins of the Hawks went on in December and set career highs in scoring in the next two games. Just this past week DeAndre’ Bembry of the Hawks had his interview, only to throw down an eye-popping reverse dunk in a smothering performance against the suddenly vulnerable Oklahoma City Thunder.
So who needs #TheStarers Bump most from the Blazers? Keep in mind, the Bump doesn’t necessarily have to go to a player who’s been struggling; it could just be for someone who needs a statement game to get that confidence up. That’s why my nomination to receive an interview from the Starters and reap the benefits of the Bump is CJ McCollum.
CJ McCollum
It’s no question that CJ McCollum‘s name has been thrown around in recent trade rumors. It’s also no question that people have questioned CJ’s game this season.
But are we done complaining about McCollum yet? In the first matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, CJ shot just 25 percent from the field in 30 minutes. Friday night against the Pelicans, CJ had 20 points on 66.7 percent shooting in 32 minutes to go along with six rebounds and three assists.
He’s basically returned to form so far in January, where he’s averaging 18.2 points on 43.4 percent shooting. On the year he’s actually shooting a hair over his career average (45.6 vs 45.4), even if his three-point percentage has dipped (34.1 vs 39.9).
That being said, we haven’t had a classic breakout CJ game in quite some time. He’s averaging his fewest points per game (20.6) in four years. We need a return to his game from almost one year ago, when he scored 50 in just 29 minutes on January 31 against the Chicago Bulls.
With the Thunder dropping two straight games, the Blazers have a real chance to reclaim the third spot in the stacked West. A definitive CJ game can definitely help with that. And if all else fails, when the Blazers visit Atlanta on March 29, we can petition to get CJ a spot on “The Starters.”