As the prime of his career reaches its zenith, its likely that CJ McCollum will go down as one of leagues greatest players to never earn an NBA All-Star nomination. 6 overall in 2012, they took McCollum with another lottery pick (No. But me knowing him the way I know him and having to compete against him, I wanted to make sure I got out front and set the tone early.. The championship window seemed shattered on the ruptured Achilles of Wesley Matthews, and within weeks, the talented two-guardalong with fellow starters Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, and Robin Lopezwould become a thing of the past. Major League Baseball sent a warning shot on Friday to Republicans considering new laws to restrict voting, pulling its summer All-Star game out of suburban Atlanta in . The long-term highlight of that Game Two was the play above, with Lillards back-and-forth with Westbrook serving as an entertaining backdrop of this series. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports. Find out more. Schooling the Thunder once in Game One was to get the monkey of their respective backs; to do it again would be sending a message. We have great human beings in here. [3] Even though he was already considered virtually destined to be a top NBA draft pick by his third year, he decided to finish his final year of college instead of leaving sooner for the NBA. Right, Born: Ingram admitted after the win that he knows the margin of error is small for the Pels as they attempt to stay above water with all the injuries popping up. 6. If Im going to be an elite guard, Ive got to pick up full court sometimes and do whatever it takes, McCollum said. The Pelicans handled that pressure and played like the more desperate team, withstanding a 41-point outburst from Lillard to hold on to a 121-110 victory. (Top photo of CJ McCollum dribbling against Damian Lillard: Soobum Im / USA Today). [22] After injury decommissioned Lillard in late December, McCollum filled in as the primary point guard. He just doesnt know if he will be there solely to take meetings as the president of the NBA Players Association or if his trip to Salt Lake City will serve a dual purpose. If it happens, thats great. [19] On November 6, 2018, McCollum scored 40 points during a 118103 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. To count a few: theres (1) Lillards pissed off at the NBA, 51-point performance against Golden State, fresh off of another All-Star snub, (2) the corner game-winner with three Warriors in his airspace in 2018-19, and even a cohesive 41-point second half takeover from Lillard and McCollum in a Feb. 14, 2018 win, providing some hope that, with both teams fully healthy, Portland could withstand the challenge. To open the 2020-21 campaign, the talented two-guard played as if that stat was on his psyche. McCollum's own teammate Damian Lillard is a four-time All-Star who is also at the height of his ability. Towards the climax of that stretch, Lillard, in the middle of the 51-point game against Utah (of course), stepped to the free throw line, awaiting the ball before a familiar chant orchestrated by McCollum and Carmelo Anthony broke out: The entire arena gives Dame MVP chants after his 51-point game pic.twitter.com/kUZ4Fpv692. One of the most durable scorers in the game, he finished second in west guard voting last year. Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New Orleans Pelicans. McCollum knows what its like to play in big games at Moda Center. The NBA's hands are tied concerning the fan vote but making the game as a coach's selection or even an injury replacement would be a tip of the cap to what has been an outstanding, yet sometimes overshadowed, career. Because so many special moments followed each other, one after another in the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals, well cheat. Dame Lillard (34) & CJ McCollum (41) combine for 75 @TrailBlazers points. Poole has not and the Warriors still sport a 3-16 record away from home. Despite not elevating Portland to a championship, Dame and CJ provided the small-market Blazers relevance within the national media, highlighted by their hour-long, exclusive sit down with Yahoo Sports Senior NBA Insider (then of ESPN) in Chris Haynes. Despite averaging 26.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 44.1% from three, all career highs, McCollums name was missing from the list of reserves for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. On Tuesday, the official NBA All-Star reserves list was released with just two weeks remaining before the game is set to take place. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. When Dame was out this year, his usage spiked and he put up great numbers. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. I am going to make plays. Listed at 6ft 3in (1.91m) and 165lb (75kg) as a freshman in 200910, he made an immediate impact for the Mountain Hawks. As a freshman in 2005, he was considerably undersized, standing at only 5ft 2in (1.57m). Theres: (1) The Rodney Hood Game, the 4OT thriller in Game Three, (3) The CJ McCollum Game, the Game 7 comeback. Vote here: https://n. Thinking about some of the other elite duos of this time think Harden-Westbrook, Embiid-Simmons, etc its remarkable that there was never a story in which jealousy or insecurity came about. After McCollum poured 35 points on the Miami Heat Thursday tohelplead Portland to a 125-122 victory, he earned the walk-off interview for his stellar performance. Vote here: https://n. Knowing that if we blitz (Lillard) with Willy and (Jaxson Hayes), what if we go with Herb at the five? Pels coach Willie Green said. Desperate times may call for desperate measures. Christian James McCollum (born September 19, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2021 All Star Game in Indianapolis is still almost a year away. A key component that made the Lillard-McCollum pairing so alluring came in just how available they made themselves in off-court settings. 7. once 30-8 and No. Having convened for an annual photoshoot, the rookie class of 2013 took an NBA.com survey, according to which McCollum was voted the 201314 Rookie of the Year (together with Victor Oladipo). The former Portland Trail Blazers star was also an AP All-American in college and the 2016 NBA Most Improved Player. Across their eight-and-half year reign together, the two combined for 29,367 points a lot of regular season and postseason buckets combined along with three 50-win seasons, eight postseason appearances, once upon a time the NBAs longest active streak, and an immeasurable amount of memories. Hes done just that over his last 10 outings, averaging 29.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 51 percent shooting from the field, 39 percent from 3 and 88 percent from the free-throw line, Just playing free. [14] McCollum sat out the first six weeks of the regular season with a foot injury. To begin the night, the Pelicans had McCollum guarding the red-hot Lillard, who entered the game averaging 38.7 points over the previous 20 games. PORTLAND -- After playing more than 500 regular-season games together as teammates with the Portland Trail Blazers, guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum squared off against each other for the first time Wednesday, more than a year after McCollum was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in February 2022. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have combined to miss 42 games. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. CJ McCollum's career-high 9TH three-pointer wins it for the @trailblazers pic.twitter.com/4gEBbFU6HZ. This was no longer the case in 2019-20, with the unorthodox, truncated NBA Restart leaving teams unable to play over a four-month span from mid-March to late-July. So I was just trying to take it all in.. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The Last Hurrah OT Duel vs. Hardens Rockets Dec. 26, 2020. A reserve in his first two years, he became a full-time starter for the Trail Blazers in his third season after making the decision to move to shooting guard as the Blazers lost LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, and Robin Lopez in free agency following the end of the 2014-15 season. It's an undeserving slight given McCollum's career and current season. The other names on the list are questionable at best. He is a New Orleans native. [42] He recorded as many as 36 points during a 9897 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on November 7. For the Blazers, then 29-37, injury-riddled and flawed, this meant that they had nearly a half-year to lick their wounds, reassess their situation, and most of all, figure out how they would stay within striking distance of the eighth-seeded Grizzlies for a shot at a Western Conference Play-In Game. -The first set of fan votes are in for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. Big-time stuff. C.J. [30] McCollum would start in all 80 games that he played and would average 23 points as well as 3.6 rebounds and as many assists. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. He signed his rookie scale contract with the franchise on July 11,[13] and he proceeded to play for them in the NBA Summer League, averaging 21 points and 4 rebounds per game. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. To close with a fun fact: from 2015-16 to 2021-22, only eight players averaged 20+ every season; McCollum and Lillard were the only duo to have done so. McCollum checked Haynes for being among those who didnt expect the pairing to work when they first started, highlighting some of the chip on their shoulder approaches that Portland fans have come to know all too well. Among players to log at least 500 games, McCollum's 19.4 points per game scoring average ranks No. McCollum has averaged 25.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists on 119/257 shooting from the field in the last 13 games (46%). Given the mounting pressure, Manfred believed the least political solution was to . McCollum is shooting a healthy 40.1% on catch-and-shoot 3s this season. In 2022, McCollum was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, ending his nine year run with the Blazers. He was an All-Star just once. The Pelicans star forward finished the win with a season-high 40 points while also chipping in six rebounds and five assists. Buthe is the only member of the Trail Blazers to make the cut. He also missed the Blazers' Nov. 10 trip to New Orleans because of injury management, meaning it took a while for the two longtime teammates to play as opponents. (Photo of the picture on the wall via Will Guillory / The Athletic). 'Whatever seed we are, we're ready': Is there room for Cleveland among the East elite? "Me knowing him the way I know him, I wanted to make sure we set the tone early.". [59] Portland went on to lose the Conference Finals in a four-game sweep to the Warriors. While Lillard ended up scoring 41 points, he was less effective as the game progressed. The "Midsummer Classic" was set for July 13 at Truist Park, home . No real explanation why; w/ some players it just never feels smart counting them out.Take a look at his rsum in elimination matchups w/ the Blazers. [61] On February 23, 2020, he would surpass that season-high with a 41-point, 9-rebound, 12-assist performance in a 107104 victory over the Detroit Pistons. CJ McCollum is on Instagram at 3jmccollum. We came out and just competed, played hard. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. CJ McCollum attended Glen Oak in Canton, Ohio and Lehigh. The Rachel Nichols interview ahead of the 2019 Playoffs. CJ McCollum however, 12-veteran and NBPA President, has never made an NBA All-Star Game and is again getting looked over by the fan voters. McCollum scored a season-high 42 points to go along with a franchise-record 11 made three-pointers. McCollum, who is in his 10th season, has never been named an All-Star. [69] On April 13, during the NBA Play-In Tournament, McCollum recorded 32 points, six rebounds, and seven assists leading the Pelicans past the San Antonio Spurs 113103 and advancing New Orleans to the eight seed game. He never made an All-NBA Team. [55] McCollum missed 10 games over late March and early April with a left knee injury. Gambling problem? McCollum's 'Healthy Habits': Yoga, Wine and Podcasting", "CJ McCollum reacts to NBA suspending season, remains hopeful that season will resume", "New Orleans Pelicans' CJ McCollum joining ESPN as an NBA analyst", "CJ McCollum and Elise Esposito's Wedding Was an Intimate Affair in Oregon Wine Country", "CJ and Elise McCollum welcome son Jacobi James McCollum", "C.J. [21] With four of Portland's previous startersLaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopezhaving departed, only star point guard Damian Lillard remained; thus McCollum was elevated to starting shooting guard to join Lillard in the backcourt for the 201516 campaign. [27] McCollum would subsequently earn NBA Most Improved Player honors for his breakout 201516 season. I think that was the desperation we need to play with moving forward. 'Felt like practice': Lillard, McCollum square off, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Owner: Snyder, Fields will bring Hawks success, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season, Clips' Powell out at least a week to treat shoulder, LeBron to have tendon injury checked in 3 weeks. NEW ORLEANS CJ McCollum scored a season-high 40 points and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the San Antonio Spurs 126-117 to end their four-game losing streak.

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