CJ McCollum happened to be one of the biggest additions for the Atlanta Hawks last season, and once he was inserted into the starting lineup, they became a top-tier team. They had the best net rating in the second half of the season, and it led them to the No. 6 seed and a playoff spot.
McCollum’s shot creation was a big key to the Hawks’ success, but it was evident after Game 3 of the first round that he needed more help in that department. They were able to do that in the offseason, and life may
be easy for him coming into this season.
The good thing is that this will be another year for McCollum to build with the team, and having a full training camp under his belt should be beneficial.
“I got traded in January. I got here, met the team on a road trip, and kind of jumped right into the season, which was difficult, but I think I’m most excited about being able to go through a full training camp,” McCollum said at Media Day.
McCollum is the oldest player on the Hawks, and he’ll probably still be one of the most relied-on players on the Hawks. Though they’ve added some help in the creation department, and Jalen Johnson looks to have taken another step, McCollum is still set to have the ball in his hands most of the time.
Another area where McCollum seemed to have a good season with the Hawks is on defense. He was never known as the defensive type, but he did his job last season, and Quin Snyder has never been shy of letting everyone know.
“I think he was one of the guys who embraced the defensive mindset,“ Syder said at Media Day.
McCollum was in all of the closing lineups for the Hawks last season, but that may not be the case this time around. In the event that they do need stronger defense on the floor, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Dort took his place down the stretch in some games. At the same time, if the Hawks are still missing some juice on offense, McCollum will continue to be in those lineups.
It’ll also be interesting to see how Snyder plans on managing McCollum’s minutes this season, and if he plans to at all. At age 35, it wouldn’t hurt to have him under 30 minutes again, which is what he averaged in 41 games last season with the team.
McCollum might also find himself in a teacher role this season as well, lending a hand to Kingston Flemings in his rookie season.
It should be another solid season for the veteran guard, and he’ll have a big impact on their success.
