CJ McCollum Could Star in a Different Situation

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report wrote about five players that he believes could become stars in different situations.

Included in Buckley’s list is Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum:

Inside the lines, though, McCollum can mostly go step-for-step with his higher-profile backcourt mate. Because McCollum plays the Robin role for the Portland Trail Blazers, the volume edge goes Lillard’s way. But McCollum has had the higher field-goal and three-point percentages each of the last three seasons, and his career slash line comfortably wins both of those levels.

This isn’t to argue that he needs to be the keeper if Portland breaks apart this pair. But McCollum’s star potential is rich enough that there’d surely be some debate.

The 26-year-old is one of 13 players to average at least 20 points and three assists each of the past three seasons. He’s also the only one of the 13 who never led his club in scoring. Possessing both yo-yo handles and in-the-arena shooting range, he’s both a vicious isolation scorer (82nd percentile last season) and a crafty creator when triggering pick-and-rolls (79th).

Also included in the list: Washington’s Bradley Beal, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, and Indiana’s Myles Turner.