D. Aldridge: Blazers G CJ McCollum Has "Come A Long Way"

David Aldridge of NBA.com writes at length about Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard CJ McCollum from last week's Las Vegas Summer League.

"I took a nap today, in between the games, and I was looking out the window," he said here last week. "I've got a nice room. You can sort of see the whole city. And I was thinking, I've come a long way."

...

"It helped me, with Steph Curry, Damian, all those guys, George Hill," McCallum said. "People don't remember [Hill] went to IUPUI [Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis]. You're in a situation where you don't want to mess it up for the next guy. I thank those guys. Seth Curry, I tell Seth all the time, 'Tell your brother I said thank you.' If he would have played bad, maybe I don't get the same opportunities, the same praise, the same high expectations.

"Now I'm in a situation where I'm comfortable with it. I want to live up to the billing, open the door a little bit more for the next guy who's on the fence, and maybe the scouts say, let's give him the benefit of the doubt."

McCollum was selected with the No. 10 pick in last month's NBA Draft

PS Thanks to JP503 in the FanShots.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter