The New Orleans Pelicans are looking to make a competitive run during the 2023-24 season. Doing so will be a challenge, but the potential is difficult to deny for New Orleans. Veteran CJ McCollum is prepared to lead the Pelicans throughout the 2023-24 campaign. McCollum, who recently announced a partnership with Pampers (McCollum's Pamper's interview can be found here), took some time to discuss the Pelicans, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, Damian Lillard, and more in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints.
CJ McCollum gets real on the Pelicans
Joey Mistretta: What are your goals going into this 2023-24 season?
CJ McCollum: I think my goals are to be just as consistent as possible. Stay healthy. Be a good leader, work on the small things and just impact winning. Historically I've impacted winning and I want to continue to do that and help lead my team to the playoffs.
Mistretta: Speaking of your team, there's a guy named Zion Williamson who's pretty good, but he's been injured unfortunately. When he's fully healthy, this might seem like an obvious question, but how good do you think he can be? What is his ceiling when he's fully healthy?
CJ McCollum: I'm unsure what his ceiling is, but I think his ceiling is definitely All-Star, MVP, All-NBA First-Team. Which is as good as it gets. So I'd say he's as good as it gets when he's healthy and is able to put together a full season, so I'm looking forward to seeing him do just that.
Mistretta: The NBA just seems to be getting more competitive. As you know, certain players changing teams, we'll get more into that later. But talking about the Pelicans, what do you think it will take for them to make the playoffs? And not just make the play-in, but make the playoffs and make a run this season?
CJ McCollum: I think it will take consistency, it will take good health, and it will take us building winning habits throughout a full season for us to do that. If we do those things then there's no doubt in my mind we'll win enough games to host a playoff game.
McCollum: Victor Wembanyama is a “unicorn”
Mistretta: Stepping away from the Pelicans, going over to the Spurs and Wemby (Victor Wembanyama)… He's been playing well during the preseason. What have your initial thoughts been of Wemby watching him so far?
CJ McCollum: I think he's a unicorn. Not like (Kristaps) Porzingis, but just super tall, super athletic, skilled, can dribble, can shoot, can pass, high IQ, block shots. Unlike anything we've seen in a very, very long time. Very, very impressed with him.
Mistretta: Who's the most difficult player you've had to matchup against when you're on offense and they're on defense?
CJ McCollum: When I'm on offense and they're on defense… I would say, Avery Bradley was a really good defender. Tony Allen, lot of the OGs were really, really good defenders. Jrue Holiday is a good defender, (Marcus) Smart. But there's a lot of guys who defend at a high level for sure.
Mistretta: How about the other way, when you're on defense, who's the toughest guy to guard?
CJ McCollum: Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Houston James Harden, Klay (Thompson)… the ability to stop and shoot, the ability to draw fouls. Those guys are really, really good at those things.
The Damian Lillard question
Mistretta: I gotta ask you about Dame (Damian Lillard), another thing you've probably talked a lot about… How do you think he's going to fit in with Milwaukee? Obviously Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and (Khris) Middleton there doing their thing, what do you see his role being for that Bucks team?
CJ McCollum: I see his role being similar. A leader, a shot-maker down the stretch of games. Primary ball-handler, playmaker running the pick-and-roll. He's going to do what he always does. I think he's going to make their team better.
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