CJ McCollum Articles - Page 5

The New Orleans Pelicans missed most of Mardi Gras due to a road-game-heavy schedule going into the NBA All-Star break. They played eight of the last ten games away from the Smoothie King Center and then everyone but Jordan Hawkins went on a week-long February break somewhere besides Indiana. The team had practice in the […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are sitting at 33-22 coming out of the NBA All-Star break, tied with the Phoenix Suns for fifth place. Willie Green has this group on pace for one of the best regular season finishes in franchise history, but that was not the goal back in September. They are 27 games away […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are not being shy about their intentions down the stretch. General Manager Trajan Langdon said during Media Day that the playoffs were the goal but this locker room cared how they earn a postseason spot. After two years of suffering through the NBA Play-In Tournament, this team is now aiming for […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (33-22) went into the NBA All-Star break on a 7-1 run, with five of those victories coming on the road. The Pelicans return to action with three games in four days, thankfully all in the Smoothie King Center. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram can use that home cooking to dial into […]

The New Orleans Pelicans flew under the radar during the NBA All-Star break. Rookie Jordan Hawkins was the franchise’s lone representative, and that came in the undercard Rising Stars game not the main attraction. Well, on the court that is. CJ McCollum was a guest on ESPN’s NBA Today show and had to make a […]

The NBA All-Star reserves were just announced for the 2024 crop of All-Stars. Once again, Jamal Murray and CJ McCollum were left off of the All-Star teams. The NBA is deep with talent right now, and it is harder than ever before to make the All-Star Game. Both of those players have had such magnificent […]

Not seeing Damian Lillard suit up in a Portland Trail Blazers jersey still seems weird to some fans of the league. He has been with the squad since he was a rookie and formed a lethal duo there alongside CJ McCollum. Now, he has a new partner in Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Milwaukee Bucks system. […]

The New Orleans Pelicans started this season with a revamped coaching staff and a clear message to the locker room: look to take more 3-pointers. Now in his third year in charge, Willie Green has to match that strategy with a new directive coaching-wise: play more shooters or risk getting run out of the gym, […]

What a difference two games can make in changing the water cooler talk concerning the New Orleans Pelicans. Third-year head coach Willie Green was celebrating a franchise record 153 points in a win over the surprisingly competitive Utah Jazz to start the week. Unfortunately, the Pelicans are now traveling to face the Boston Celtics having […]

It’s time to have a discussion about the state of scoring in the NBA, and let me tell you, I’m very happy that someone as astute and thoughtful as CJ McCollum was one of the first to weigh in during a week when we’ve seen four 60-point performances, including two of the ten 70-point performances […]

Willie Green’s New Orleans Pelicans of the past two years were noticeably hamstrung by their lack of three-point shooting. The front office kept the core of the team together this summer but brought in James Borrego to overhaul the offensive approach. The roster remained mostly intact, but everyone knew they’d be tested on two big […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have a reputation for playing paint-pounding bully ball, but the team is starting to lean more heavily into their three-point barrage battle tactics. It’s working wonders in opening up what was a ‘congested’ offense a few weeks ago. The Pelicans even set a franchise record in Wednesday’s 132-112 win over the […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are going into a three-games in four-nights situation against two tough NBA Western Conference contenders. First up for CJ McCollum and company is a visit to the reigning champion Denver Nuggets to battle that altitude. The Dallas Mavericks await a visit from the Pelicans less than 24 hours later. New Orleans […]

The New Orleans Pelicans came into this season with a message reverberating from the Big Easy-based front office all the way to Birmingham Squadron practices. Willie Green’s revamped coaching staff added James Borrego in an attempt to boost both the quality and quantity of the team’s three-point opportunities. CJ McCollum heard the directive loud and […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, winning six of their last seven games to move within 3.5 games of first-place in the Western Conference. Injuries have played a factor in the Pelicans underachieving through the years, but they have finally had their full repertoire of talent […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are perhaps the hottest team on the planet regardless of sport. They have 16 wins by double-digits in the last two months and many have not been close. Coach Willie Green’s group has run out to 20, 30, 40 and even 50-point leads over expected playoff contenders in just the past […]

Every NBA team’s season has its ebbs and flows, some just vary more than others. Thankfully for the Crescent City, the doom and gloom around the 2023-24 New Orleans Pelicans never lasts very long. This locker room has suffered through a few gut punches and one NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal haymaker yet still they stand […]

The New Orleans Pelicans were up on the Sacramento Kings by 50 points with just 9:40 remaining in the game but did not pull their final starter until three minutes later. Naji Marshall replaced Trey Murphy III, so it was hardly a reprieve for Mike Brown’s Kings. Willie Green’s Pelicans were focused solely on their […]

The New Orleans Pelicans demolished the Sacramento Kings to the tune of a merciless 133-100 beatdown in front of a displeased Golden 1 Center crowd. Pelicans star CJ McCollum led the way with a team-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. After his scorching performance against the Kings, McCollum revealed […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (21-14) are off to one of the best starts in franchise history but practically no one in the Big Easy was buying this team’s stock just a few weeks ago. First came the 44-point NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Three straight demoralizing home losses by two […]

The New Orleans Pelicans (17-14) let Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies “happen again” in the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday night. CJ McCollum talked about the “bizarre” game in the postgame press conference, but there are not many excuses available for a team that is not good enough to learn the same hard lessons […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been in the headlines a lot recently, most of it surrounding Zion Williamson’s weight. Tuesday night they were in the news again, this time after losing in overtime to the Memphis Grizzlies following a 13-point lead to start the fourth quarter. The Pelicans were outscored 49-35 in the fourth quarter […]

The New Orleans Pelicans lost a heartbreaker in the Smoothie King Center Tuesday night to the Memphis Grizzlies, but because of the unusual nature of the ending, the true agony of defeat has probably not set in for the team just yet. Ja Morant attacked the basket with the Grizzlies trailing by one, and the […]

Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans (17-13) are 5-7 in close games this season. Willie Green’s young squad has lost eight games after having a double-digit lead. Win half of those contests and they’d be in a battle for first place, not on the fringes of the NBA Play-In […]

The holidays have a way of bringing out unwelcome guests and unfortunate reminders. Well, NBA trade rumors and award talk are ramping up so it’s time for the yearly mention: New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum wears the unfortunate moniker of being perhaps the best active NBA player who has never been selected for an […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have been riding high since that embarrassing 44-point NBA In-Season Tournament loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals. The winners of four straight games even made history against the San Antonio Spurs, sinking 22 three-pointers, a franchise record. Eight players hit a shot from beyond the arc in a […]

Zion Williamson has been a target of criticism recently, mostly concerning his supposed lack of discipline and conditioning. Enter his teammate and New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard CJ McCollum, who defended the former No. 1 overall pick amid swipes from fans and the media. “They don’t talk about players that aren’t good… If he was […]

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said of a December 11 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, “The story was 40 free-throw attempts and 19 of them in the third quarter. I think 28 in the second half. So, a lot of fouling. A lot of foul calls.” That’s just the gameplan Pelicans head coach […]

As the saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” The New Orleans Pelicans should leave whatever that putrid stinker of a performance was during their NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Quite frankly, Zion Williamson and the Pelicans did not deserve to be there. Not after their showing on […]

Injuries and dysfunction. These are the two words that have been associated with the New Orleans Pelicans over the last couple of seasons due to the fact that they have never seemed to have their full core group heathy. By the time health was no longer a factor in recent years, the cracks in the […]

CJ McCollum made a name for himself as one of the most electrifying scorers for the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA as a sidekick to All-Star guard Damian Lillard. He was once named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year. But in 2022, McCollum’s tenure in Portland ended after the Blazers traded him […]

The Pelicans came away with an impressive road victory over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA In-Season Tournament despite falling down early, and CJ McCollum detailed why it was so important for his team to show fight and battle back, as well as get contributions from everyone. “It’s extremely important,” CJ McCollum said about not […]

The In-Season Tournament carries a little more weight for teams like the New Orleans Pelicans (11-9). Winning the NBA Cup is a nice notch on the belt of a legitimate championship contender, but it can be a crucial coming-of-age moment for a franchise desperate to ascend into the next tier. That being said, the Pels […]

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green has been blessed with a locker room continuity that most first-time head coaches are not allowed. Just by the nature of the job and situation, young first-time coaches taking over a lottery team usually have to manage a great deal of roster turnover. Green’s experience has been a […]

After a nerve-racking final group stage night, the NBA In-Season Tournament knockout rounds bracket is set. Eight teams remain in commissioner Adam Silver’s new competitive vehicle. Seven of those teams are currently at least two games above .500. The other? They needed help from Dallas, but the New Orleans Pelicans (10-9) advanced to the quarterfinals […]

After missing 12 games due to injury, New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum was finally able to see action again Wednesday night, as he helped the Pels obliterate the Philadephia 76ers at home, 124-114. McCollum was understandably ecstatic over his return and New Orleans’ victory against a legitimate NBA title contender, albeit one that’s missing […]

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum has not played since November 4, as the veteran guard has been on the injury report due to right lung small pneumothorax. While he has missed the Pelicans’ last 12 games, McCollum is set to return on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Based on the Pelicans’ latest injury […]

There was cause for much concern for the New Orleans Pelicans when CJ McCollum was diagnosed with a collapsed lung in early November, as McCollum has sustained this injury in the past. It was unclear yet just how severe the injury McCollum sustained was, but clearly, matters of the respiratory system aren’t anything to take […]

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green said “If it ain’t broke, I ain’t fixing it” when asked about the current starting five after a Thanksgiving week home win over the Sacramento Kings. Well, Green will soon be dealing with “some of those good problems” this holiday season. CJ McCollum is targeting a return to […]