Ranking the five best Portland Trail Blazers players of the last decade

Where the aforementioned Wesley Matthews’ story ends, CJ McCollum’s begins. Following the implosion of the 51-win Portland Trail Blazers team, McCollum finally had his chance to shine.

In 2015-16, McCollum made the transition from bench player averaging 15.7 minutes and 6.8 points per game to the starting lineup for a competitive Blazers roster. McCollum rewarded Portland’s faith in his abilities, as he went on to average 20.8 points and 4.3 assists per game.

His unbelievable jump in results earned McCollum the Most Improved Player of the Year award. McCollum managed to successfully morph into a high-powered scoring guard that would transform Portland into the dual-pistols offensively minded team still to this day.

While many teams would struggle reducing friction between two scoring guards that like the ball in their hands, McCollum and Damian Lillard have thrived in this environment. Along the way, the pair have developed an inseparable bond.

"“CJ is my brother, man. In the NBA you will see a lot of friendships that people make out to be more than they are, or what they want to believe they are. But me and CJ, we are really good friends. And that makes a difference when you are comfortable with someone and you want the best for them.’’ -Damian Lillard"

Roster instability and injuries the past few seasons have hurt McCollum statistically the last couple seasons, however it’s obvious to see the improvements he has made to get to the level where he’s consistently been playing at for four seasons now.

While Dame and CJ continue to develop their chemistry and progress as players, Portland has done its best to surround the pair with high quality players. The return of Jusuf Nurkic from injury and another year of development from promising players Zach Collins, Anfernee Simons and this year’s first-round draft pick could yield even better results next year.