The New Orleans Pelicans are slowly creeping up the standings of late thanks in large part to the massive contributions of one CJ McCollum. The NBA trade deadline acquisition from the Portland Trail Blazers has played like a man possessed.

In nine games with the Pelicans, CJ McCollum is averaging 26.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. He's also doing it on an insanely efficient 52.3% from the field and 40.9% from the three-point arc. It could very well be the change of scenery that's invoked such a leap from the shifty guard, but perhaps it's more on who he's not seeing any longer – Damian Lillard.

McCollum was asked about what's sparked his spike in output. The Pelicans guard kept his answer simple in that he's now the undisputed top dog in the backcourt for New Orleans.

Via NOLA's Christian Clark:

“I’m the primary ball handler now,” McCollum said. “Before, Dame was the primary ball handler.”

McCollum has always had the playmaking chops and the ball-handling abilities to play as the lead guard. But with Damian Lillard ahead of him, he couldn't get the chance to shine often enough. Their overlap was one of the key reasons many felt it was worth breaking them up and it's worked fine for both sides. McCollum now gets the usage and touches that he always wanted while his understudy in Anfernee Simons has also emerged as a dynamic playmaker in Portland.

“He’s a great ball handler,” Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas said of . “He has that first step. He can take guys off the dribble. If you set him a screen, he can get to the rim. It’s easy to play that way.”

“He’s such a high-IQ person and basketball player, he figures it out,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said about McCollum. “He’s done it his whole career. WIth us, it took a few games to figure out his rhythm and his spots, but we’ve been doing a lot of film work as a group and getting on the floor and working on it, and it’s paying off.”

CJ McCollum is spreading his wings without Damian Lillard. The New Orleans Pelicans are glad it's with them.