Bayless (6' 2.25", 34.6 mpg): 21 ppg, 34.6%, 31% on threes, 81.5% FT, 4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1 spg, 3.6 TO CJ (6' 3.75", 32.5 mpg): 19 ppg, 37.5%, 54% on threes, 82.5% FT, 4.3 rpg, 5 apg, 3 spg, 4.8 TO What do i win?
Bingo. I originally wanted to point out that CJ was about the same as the much-touted Oladipo. But the more I think about it, Oladipo was (a) not supposed to be a scorer, and (b) not supposed to be a PG, so the fact that his 3 point shooting and assists were so much better than CJs is a little disheartening. Both of them are shorter than you'd think, though.
The eye test is more important than the stats to me. To my eyes, CJ looks skilled and like he should do fine scoring off the bench in spurts against other teams' benches. I'm not sold on him running the point for extended minutes yet. He struggles too much against pressure and getting doubled on pick and rolls. If he gets regular minutes, shoots above 40%, and scores about 10 points per game I won't be disappointed.
What is this "eye test" you talk about? This is 2013. This board does not recognize anything other than advanced stats as a viable option when evaluating talent. No seriously, well said.
Hopefully one of our point guards with extensive experience in breaking constant double teams can help CJ grow in that area
Those are his long-term ceilings. Currently McCollum is absolutely nothing compared to any of those. People seem to think he's already that good. When Bayless was here I used to say he was an excellent athlete, but had chosen the wrong sport. He lacks basketball instincts.
I used this comparison earlier but Sam Mitchell used this comp last night on NBAtv as well: Joe Dumars. He's a much better shooter than what he displayed in Vegas. But one thing is clear: he's a pure SG. In no way, shape or form is he a PG.
CJ McCollum, Trail Blazers 21 PPG, 4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 36.6 FG%, 31 3P% lastname McCollum The good: McCollum proved that he has the skill set to fulfill the team's primary expectation for him, which is to score a ton of points. With one of the quickest triggers in the desert and refined instincts for finding points, McCollum is a genuine threat from most spots on the floor, and led summer league in scoring before hanging it up prior to Friday's game against Minnesota. In a backcourt sorely lacking punch behind starter Damian Lillard, those are qualities the Blazers will surely covet. The bad: Those points that fans latched onto were the result of McCollum hoisting more shots than any other player in Vegas, making them at just a 36.6 percent rate. What's more, McCollum struggled to free teammates and orchestrate a coherent offense. Nobody really expected slick no-look passes or for McCollum to lead summer league in assists, but the Blazers sometimes hurt for points with the rookie at the helm. Bottom line: We didn't learn all that much about McCollum. His credentials as a scoring talent remain unquestioned, but the questions about his other talents remain unanswered. In sum, McCollum was probably very much what the Blazers expected, and while fans have every reason to be excited, they should also be prepared for a rookie season that exposes a few current weaknesses. -- Danny Nowell http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/61680/final-word-summer-leagues-top-rookies
What's fun about that is that, if we're a teensy bit down about CJ, imagine how Minny, Washington, and Sacto feel about Muhammad, Porter and McLemore...
You are wrong about this one. Dumars was an ELITE defender who defended Jordan better than anyone in NBA history. Jordan said so himself. CJ will never be a good defender. He has no upside in this area at all and at this point it looks like he will be a liability on Defense. [video=youtube;d4mU0_IJGls]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4mU0_IJGls[/video]
