Originally the 10th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, CJ McCollum has made great strides in his five-year career. After winning the 2015-16 NBA Most Improved Player award, some feel he should have already made his first All-Star appearance alongside his teammate, Damian Lillard.

On the ‘Timeout with Taylor Rooks' podcast, Dwyane Wade was asked who the most underappreciated player in the league is:

Considering McCollum's career path, he is definitely in the conversation as one of the most underappreciated players in the league. As a three-star recruit coming out of high school, the 26-year-old is one of the rare players to play all four years at Lehigh. After playing limited minutes in his first two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, he is currently averaging 21.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 36.1 minutes during the 2017-18 NBA season.

Following short playoff runs in his career so far, McCollum has an opportunity to establish himself as one of the best shooting guards in the league. With the Blazers currently the No. 3 seed in the extremely competitive Western Conference, they have been a pleasant surprise this season. While it is unclear who Portland will face as the Utah Jazz (No. 4 seed) and Denver Nuggets (No. 9 seed) are only separated by two games, they will have the ultimate challenge of trying to contain the backcourt of McCollum and Lillard.