<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollum-khris-middleton-finding-nemo-washington-kyshawn-george');   ga('set', 'title', 'CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton channeling ‘Finding Nemo’ in Wizards leadership');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CJ-McCollum-Khris-Middleton-channeling-Finding-Nemo-in-Washington-leadership.jpg"></figure><h1>CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton channeling ‘Finding Nemo’ in Wizards leadership</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-05T20:04:30-08:00">December 5th, 8:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-05T20:45:57-08:00">December 5th, 8:45pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Wizards lost by a combined 64 points to the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics over the last two games, and Thursday’s 141-101 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-derrick-white-drops-eye-popping-stat-line-under-30-minutes-wizards">home defeat to the Celtics</a> was soul-crushing. However, veterans <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/cj-mccollum-wizards-culture-standard-young-core">CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton won’t let the young group</a> lose its way.</p><p>Second-year wing Kyshawn George explained after Friday’s <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1997013581036917023" rel="noopener">practice how their</a> “Finding Nemo”-style approach helps the squad.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kyshawn George on what he’s learned from McCollum and Middleton:</p><p>“Their consistency in their emotions. Super steady, super calm…Regardless of what happens, just keep swimming…You learn from it on the court…They’ve had longer careers than most of us in this building…” <a href="https://t.co/MBzDh78YDr">pic.twitter.com/MBzDh78YDr</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1997013581036917023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Their consistency in their emotions, I’d say. It’s super steady, super calming,” the former Miami Hurricane said. “Regardless of what happens, you just keep going, keep swimming. They know what it takes. They come back the next day with the same focus level and precision of being a pro and being able to execute what we have to do.”</p><p>“Keep swimming” is a <a href="https://youtu.be/0Hkn-LSh7es?si=1F_uq0PnPJITI9JA" rel="noopener">phrase popularized by a scene</a> in “Nemo,” in which a cheerful Dory tries to cheer up a cranky Marlin. The full saying is “When life gets you down, just keep swimming!”</p><p>McCollum and Middleton do that naturally at this point in their careers, but it’s not easy for young players to stay enthusiastic after losing nine of their first 21 games by 20-plus points in addition to three 19-point defeats. Getting blown out doesn’t help them develop, as it robs them of experience in clutch-time situations and subjects them to non-competitive minutes in the fourth quarter.</p><p>However, George said that the veteran duo’s even-keeled attitude keeps them inspired.</p><p>“You learn from it on the court. You take example,” the 21-year-old continued. “Obviously, they’ve had longer careers and have accomplished more than most of us in this building. Learning from that, wanting to be ambitious and wanting to do something with your career. You’re not trying to mimic, but pick up what you can pick up from those types of people.”</p><p>George’s statement is accurate, as McCollum and Middleton’s resumes are on a different stratosphere compared to everyone else on the roster. McCollum won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2016, has averaged at least 20 points for 10 straight years, and was the second option behind Damian Lillard when the Portland Trail Blazers made the Western Conference Finals in 2019. Meanwhile, Middleton is a three-time NBA All-Star and was the second option behind <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-washington-changed-nba-trade-landscape-giannis-antetokounmpo">Giannis Antetokounmpo when the Milwaukee Bucks</a> won the 2021 NBA Finals.</p><p>On the other hand, second-year Washington center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-alex-sarr-bub-carrington-franchise-history-all-rookie">Alex Sarr and second-year guard Bub Carrington both earned All-Rookie</a> placements last season, and third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly is a two-time Rising Star. That shows promise, but they haven’t learned how to win yet, as the Wizards went 15-67 in Coulibaly’s first season and 18-64 last year. Now, they’re 3-18 before hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.</p><p>The overload of losing is due to Washington’s priority of rebuilding through the draft. Finishing with the worst or second-worst record in the NBA ensures that it won’t finish below the fifth or sixth picks in the lottery, respectively, and ties it for having the highest odds of getting the top spot. That hasn’t happened since it picked <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/why-wizards-must-honor-john-wall-bulls-derrick-rose">franchise legend John Wall</a> No. 1 overall in 2010, but it did select Sarr No. 2 in 2024. It then fell to No. 6 this past summer, but it still landed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-tre-johnson-washington-rebuilding-puzzle">sharpshooting guard Tre Johnson</a>.</p><p>The Wizards will probably end with a similar record this season as they keep try to land their franchise cornerstone. But until then, they must have more competitive showings to help their young core grow.</p><p>Although McCollum and Middleton aid that effort with their leadership, they won’t be in Washington much longer. They’re both on expiring contracts and are top <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-buyout-candidates-khris-middleton-nikola-vucevic-among-five-names-who-could-hit-free-agency-this-season/" rel="noopener">trade/buyout candidates</a> ahead of February’s NBA Trade Deadline, per CBS Sports. Luckily, the team’s young players have noticed their “keep swimming” way of life, and they can imitate it even after the elder statesmen go to other squads.</p><h2><b>CJ McCollum describes Will Riley’s skill set </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Wizards-Will-Riley-2.jpg"><figcaption>© Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>One of the few positives over the last two games is rookie wing Will Riley playing more than 12 minutes a night for the first time in his career. The 19-year-old played 26 minutes in Tuesday’s 121-102 loss to the 76ers and 27 against the Celtics, combining for 19 points (7-12 FG, 3-5 3-point) with eight rebounds, three assists and one steal. Before that, he logged 36 points (14-24 FG, 4-6 3-point) with five rebounds, seven assists, and one steal over 39 minutes in the G League on Nov. 30.</p><p>McCollum spoke about Riley’s <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1996983409088884983" rel="noopener">game after the</a> Boston loss.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CJ McCollum last night on the growth he’s seen from Will Riley:</p><p>“Will can hoop…He’s aggressive, he can get downhill, he’s got great pivots, good feet, good bball IQ. Obviously you guys have seen what he did in the G League and college. His game translates to the NBA…” <a href="https://t.co/Ajpz63x3wT">pic.twitter.com/Ajpz63x3wT</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1996983409088884983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Will can hoop. We said it right away when we seen him in camp,” the 34-year-old said. “He’s aggressive, he can get downhill, he’s got great pivots, good feet, good basketball IQ. Obviously you guys have seen what he did in the G League and college. His game definitely translates to the NBA. As he gets more comfortable and experienced, a lot of people will get to see him develop and grow too.”</p><p>Riley was an off-ball shot creator as a freshman for the Illinois Fighting Illini last season, and he’s practiced his point guard skills in his three G League appearances this year. However, the 6-foot-9, 180-pounder is making it hard to justify the Wizards not playing him every game, especially with Coulibaly (oblique), Johnson (hip flexor), Sarr (thigh), and veteran guard Corey Kispert <a href="https://x.com/WashWizards/status/1997073787985015289" rel="noopener">(thumb) all sidelined</a>, per the team’s injury report. He didn’t play in their 129-126 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, but that was before Coulibaly went down.</p><p>Riley’s development is one of Washington’s most important storylines moving forward, as he could establish himself as a main pillar of its rebuild alongside Sarr, George, and Johnson. More losses are inevitable, but the No. 21 overall pick is one of the players who makes the struggle more exciting.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton channeling ‘Finding Nemo’ in Wizards leadership

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollum-bub-carrington-hawks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ CJ McCollum reveals key to success for Bub Carrington after win vs. Hawks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Wizards-news-CJ-McCollum-reveals-key-to-success-for-Bub-Carrington-after-win-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ CJ McCollum reveals key to success for Bub Carrington after win vs. Hawks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-26T11:30:58-08:00">November 26th, 11:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-26T14:54:16-08:00">November 26th, 2:54pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three days after falling 121-120 to the Chicago Bulls in a road heartbreaker, the Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollum-46-point-masterclass-breaks-washingtons-losing-streak">Wizards ended their 14-game losing streak</a> with their first-ever NBA Cup win and first home victory this season. They beat the Atlanta Hawks 132-113 behind veteran guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollums-immediate-reaction-to-wild-40-point-night-vs-hawks">CJ McCollum’s 46 points</a> (17-25 FG, 10-13 3-point) across 37 minutes, but second-year guard Bub Carrington’s productive performance was more meaningful for the organization’s future.</p><p>McCollum told ClutchPoints postgame what helped Carrington, who led the bench with 10 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3-point) and six assists against three turnovers in 22 minutes, play well and <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1993529774594211870" rel="noopener">how he can build</a> on the performance.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CJ McCollum on what helped Bub Carrington play well tonight and how he can build on that:</p><p>“I think he wasn’t hesitant tonight…He’s continuing to figure out his balance between making plays, getting in the paint, and taking his own shots…” <a href="https://t.co/i8hrMFWtDQ">pic.twitter.com/i8hrMFWtDQ</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1993529774594211870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I think he wasn’t hesitant tonight. Besides the three he turned down when he traveled, I told him ‘You just gotta shoot the ball,'” the 34-year-old said. “I think he’s continuing to figure out his balance between making plays, getting in the paint, and taking his own shots. He’s been in the gym at night, he’s really paying attention. He’s watching film, learning his own game and learning the NBA game all at the same time in Year 2.”</p><p>Carrington struggled to start the season, as he shot just 32.4 percent from the field in October and only had three double-digit scoring games before Tuesday. However, the 20-year-old is slowly getting back to his rookie form, as his 37.8 percent field goal clip in November is only 2.3 percent below his mark from last season.</p><p>“I think he’s going to continue to make strides,” McCollum continued. “We’re not even a quarter through the season, what is this, Game 16? There’s a lot of growth that’s going to take place, and by the time we get to Christmas I think he’ll be much more comfortable.”</p><p>Carrington didn’t have earth-shattering numbers on Tuesday, but they were miles better than several of his outings this season. For example, the former Second Team All-Rookie honoree had five turnovers and no points (0-2 FG) across 25 minutes in a 119-102 loss to the New York Knicks on Nov. 3, and he had three points (1-5 FG) with three turnovers over 22 minutes in a 127-108 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 30. He also shot 2-12 in a 148-115 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 7, although he did add 11 assists against two turnovers.</p><p>What helped Carrington return to form against the Hawks was getting back to his comfort zone, which is being a combo guard that <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1993497045991063577" rel="noopener">does damage from the midrange</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bub in the mid-range 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/D7VAFN4S3b">pic.twitter.com/D7VAFN4S3b</a></p><p>— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1993497045991063577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Wizards deployed Carrington as a pure point guard to start the season, but that didn’t work out. It’s hard for a 20-year-old to run an NBA offense, and he’s shown that he’s not ready for that. Now, he’s getting his mojo back by playing his natural style.</p><p>On one hand, Carrington is learning that he’s at his best when he’s playing loose and not dealing with facilitation responsibilities. That helps the former Pittsburgh Panther not hesitate, as McCollum said.</p><p>On the other hand, it also shows the coaching staff and organization that it’s best to let young players build themselves up in the NBA within their comfort zone before playing them in a position they’re not used to. Carrington might be ready to play point guard in a couple of years, but there’s no need to force him to do so now simply because the team doesn’t have a true “one.”</p><p>While McCollum’s red-hot shooting night was a treat for the Washington faithful at Capital One Arena, he won’t be around for long due to his expiring contract. Carrington is a different story, as he’s a part of the young core that the team is developing.</p><p>For now, McCollum’s veteran leadership can help players like Carrington, who will get every chance to show they can be in the fold when the Wizards are a winning squad again.</p><h2><b>Alex Sarr reveals how Wizards excelled sans Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George</b></h2><p>Both Atlanta and Washington were shorthanded, as star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/trae-young-to-be-re-evaluated-in-4-weeks-with-mcl-injury">Hawks guard Trae Young (knee)</a> as well as Wizards guard Tre Johnson (hip) and wing Kyshawn George (illness) were all out. But the fact that the latter team won convincingly without two of its best young players shows that the rebuild is working.</p><p>Second-year center Alex Sarr, who notched 27 points (11-15 FG, 1-2 3-point) with 11 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals over 38 minutes, explained how Washington <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1993527807583162693" rel="noopener">pulled it off</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Sarr on how the Wizards had their best night of the season without Kyshawn George or Tre Johnson:</p><p>“Yeah, we definitely miss those guys out there…It’s just next man up…We’re sharing the ball a lot, I feel like. First half, second half too. That worked for us.” <a href="https://t.co/3Gm6ohtJu1">pic.twitter.com/3Gm6ohtJu1</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1993527807583162693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Yeah, we definitely miss those guys out there. They’re big-time shotmakers and playmakers for us,” the 2024 No. 2 overall draft pick said. “It’s just next man up, guys trying to make the right plays. We’re sharing the ball a lot, I feel like. First half, second half too. That worked for us.”</p><p>Indeed, the Wizards tallied 30 assists, giving them 30-plus dimes in back-to-back games and five total such outings on the season. Sharing the ball and having Sarr dominate inside on both ends gives them a formula for competitive basketball moving forward, even though they’re not focused on winning yet.</p><p>If Washington at least plays closer games consistently, the young core will learn from being in more clutch-time situations. Losing by 20-plus points, which it’s done six times this season, is less helpful. However, the last two games are signs that the team is figuring itself out.</p><p>Up next is another NBA Cup matchup, this time on the road against the Indiana Pacers at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ CJ McCollum reveals key to success for Bub Carrington after win vs. Hawks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollums-immediate-reaction-to-wild-40-point-night-vs-hawks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards guard CJ McCollum’s immediate reaction to wild 40-point night vs. Hawks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Wizards-guard-CJ-McCollum-3-is-fouled.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Wizards guard CJ McCollum’s immediate reaction to wild 40-point night vs. Hawks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-25T20:19:30-08:00">November 25th, 8:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-25T20:19:30-08:00">November 25th, 8:19pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>CJ McCollum is in the middle of his worst season since his sophomore campaign in the NBA. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/cj-mccollum-wizards-culture-standard-young-core">Washington Wizards haven’t quite given him as prominent of a role</a> as he had in years past, and as a result, his numbers have dipped considerably. He entered their Tuesday night clash against the Atlanta Hawks averaging just 16.5 points per game — the first time he’s averaging fewer than 20 per night since the 2014-15 campaign.</p><p>But Tuesday night <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollum-46-point-masterclass-breaks-washingtons-losing-streak">brought back the vintage version of McCollum</a>. The Wizards veteran torched the Hawks to the tune of 46 points on 17-25 shooting from the field and an even more bonkers 10-13 from beyond the arc — playing far and away his best game of the season in leading his team to a 132-113 win over the Hawks.</p><p>After the game, McCollum outlined <a href="https://twitter.com/MonSportsNet/status/1993508366124003736" rel="noopener">how hard he works</a> on his game, resulting in this bonkers scoring night.</p><p>“Yeah, just keep swimming. I put a lot of time in. I sacrifice a lot of time away from my family to get in the gym at night,” McCollum told Meghan McPeak of Monumental Sports Network. “These results, they come in the dark. They come from hard work in the dark. A lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out how to really master my craft and be more consistent with my jumpshot.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Bub said it was all because of his pajama pants!" 😂</p><p>Despite the cozy <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WashWizards</a> giveaway, <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CJMcCollum</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/meghanmcpeak?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@meghanmcpeak</a> his 40-point night came down to dedication and teamwork 🤞 <a href="https://t.co/jgN9ScCXCo">pic.twitter.com/jgN9ScCXCo</a></p><p>— Monumental Sports Network (@MonSportsNet) <a href="https://twitter.com/MonSportsNet/status/1993508366124003736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>McCollum has been one of the most consistent scorers in the NBA for over a decade now, and it looks like this game is going to mark a turning point for him as far as his Wizards tenure is concerned.</p><h2><b>Wizards stop the bleeding thanks to a huge CJ McCollum performance</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Wizards-guard-CJ-McCollum-3-reacts-after-making-a-three.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Wizards entered their Tuesday night game against the Hawks having lost their past 14 games. This losing streak did not look like it was going to end anytime soon, but they managed to turn the tables on a Hawks team that’s been playing well to stop the bleeding.</p><p>They now have a 2-15 record on the year, and they may not be done winning just yet. They are going to be facing the Indiana Pacers on Friday, which could be another one on the win column for them amid a putrid campaign from the reigning NBA Finals runner-up.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards guard CJ McCollum’s immediate reaction to wild 40-point night vs. Hawks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollum-46-point-masterclass-breaks-washingtons-losing-streak');   ga('set', 'title', 'CJ McCollum 46-point masterclass breaks Wizards’ losing streak');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Wizards-guard-CJ-McCollum-3-reacts-after-making-a-three.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>CJ McCollum 46-point masterclass breaks Wizards’ losing streak</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-25T19:22:58-08:00">November 25th, 7:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-25T19:22:58-08:00">November 25th, 7:22pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-nba-cup-drought-reaches-new-low">Washington Wizards have been the worst team</a> in the NBA this season, which is understandable considering how they’re just in the second year of a full-blown rebuild. But they haven’t been just bad — they’ve been horrific. They entered their Tuesday night NBA Cup game against the Atlanta Hawks with <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?DateTo=11/24/2025&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=NET_RATING" rel="noopener">a net rating</a> of -15.5 — downright insanity, even for a team with plenty of inexperienced players.</p><p>But on Tuesday, one of the Wizards’ veterans in CJ McCollum simply <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1993504128849658086" rel="noopener">decided to take matters</a> into his own hands and stop the 14-game bleeding, and against a good defensive team, no less. McCollum, despite being guarded by Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, put the Hawks through the blender — scoring 46 points on 10 made three-point field goals to lead the generally hapless Wizards to a 132-113 win.</p><p>Tuesday night brought back vintage McCollum, who, at the urging of the Wizards, has taken a bit of a backseat to some of the team’s younger guys. Kyshawn George (who was out on Tuesday) as well as Alex Sarr <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-washington-kyshawn-george-historic-outing-bulls">have been tasked with doing the heavy lifting</a>, but they are so young that they are outmatched every single night. But McCollum, the team’s resident unc, turned back the hands of time for one night and poured it on.</p><p>The Wizards were in the middle of a 14-game losing streak that didn’t look like it was going to end anytime soon. But with McCollum raining fire from beyond the arc, Washington at least gets a taste of a rare victory — and they may not be done winning games just yet.</p><h2><b>Wizards might be able to extend their win streak to two games</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Alex-Sarr.jpg"><figcaption>Erik Williams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Wizards’ next game will be on Friday night, when they take on the Indiana Pacers in NBA Cup action to round out their group-stage journey. That should be a very winnable game, especially with the Pacers in the throes as well amid their non-stop injury woes.</p><p>For the sake of the Wizards youngsters’ development, McCollum taking a backseat still makes the most sense. But if he’s firing on all cylinders like this, it might be best to simply let one of the eldest of the group cook.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

CJ McCollum 46-point masterclass breaks Wizards’ losing streak

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-fans-cant-believe-cj-mccollums-total-points-mavs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fans can’t believe Wizards vet CJ McCollum’s total points in just 2 quarters vs. Mavs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Wizards-guard-CJ-McCollum-3-poses-for-a-portrait.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Fans can’t believe Wizards vet CJ McCollum’s total points in just 2 quarters vs. Mavs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-08T18:30:02-08:00">November 8th, 6:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-08T18:30:02-08:00">November 8th, 6:30pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards entered Saturday looking to end a seven-game losing skid, as they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-will-anthony-davis-return-second-back-to-back-wizards">welcome Cooper Flagg and the visiting Dallas Mavericks</a> at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The Mavericks are also not doing very great in the 2025-26 NBA season, but regardless of the quality of their opponent, the Wizards are always going to need a good game from someone like CJ McCollum to thrive.</p><p>The veteran guard, who was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/cj-mccollum-wizards-culture-standard-young-core">traded to Washington from the New Orleans Pelicans</a> in the summer, stepped up and cooked early against the Mavericks, helping set the tone for Washington in the first half. By halftime, the former Lehigh Mountain Hawks star already had 23 points to go with four rebounds and two assists, plus a steal in only 17 minutes of work. McCollum was also incredibly efficient in getting his buckets in the first half, as he <a href="https://x.com/statmuse/status/1987327265122799661" rel="noopener">shot 8-for-12 from the field</a>, while knocking down two of his four attempts from behind the arc.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CJ McCollum in the first half vs Dallas: <a href="https://t.co/b0LLzsRUF4">pic.twitter.com/b0LLzsRUF4</a></p><p>— StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1987327265122799661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Of course, McCollum’s hot shooting early versus Dallas got fans buzzing on social media.</p><p>“I was told CJ was washed. Sure as hell doesn’t look like that,” one social media user on X, formerly Twitter, <a href="https://x.com/rvpats1212/status/1987334095420989720" rel="noopener">commented</a>.</p><p>“The beast is awakening,” another comment <a href="https://x.com/blittermedia/status/1987328801982861775" rel="noopener">read</a>.</p><p>Another <a href="https://x.com/icomaki2/status/1987328603487429063" rel="noopener">shared</a>: “Nice, McCollum’s on fire tonight.”</p><p>“If I’m Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks I’d go get CJ! At this point he’s a better playmaker and shooter than Klay!” <a href="https://x.com/McV00072/status/1987329299406282861" rel="noopener">shared</a> another social media user.</p><p>“Mavs defense is free eats, yesterday JA and today CJ,” one fan <a href="https://x.com/Footballjogfv/status/1987324854081609928" rel="noopener">said</a>, while also skewering the Mavericks’ defense.</p><p>McCollum entered Saturday averaging just 13.1 points per game on a 35.5 percent shooting from the field, so one can say that he was due for a throwback performance.</p><p>However, McCollum ultimately got just 25 points against the Mavericks, notching only two points in the final two quarters.</p><p>The Wizards also ended up losing the contest, 111-105, to drop to 1-9, so far in the 2025-26 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fans can’t believe Wizards vet CJ McCollum’s total points in just 2 quarters vs. Mavs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/cj-mccollum-wizards-culture-standard-young-core');   ga('set', 'title', 'How CJ McCollum has set new Wizards culture and standard for young core');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Wizards-CJ-McCollum.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How CJ McCollum has set new Wizards culture and standard for young core</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-06T02:37:01-07:00">October 6th, 2:37am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-06T09:35:47-07:00">October 6th, 9:35am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>WASHINGTON, D.C. — In 2023, the Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-2023-offseason-recap-jordan-poole-kyle-kuzma-bilal-coulibaly">Wizards’ new regime decided to rebuild</a> with young talent after five straight losing seasons with a veteran core under the prior administration. However, it still keeps <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-wizards-cj-mccollum-jordan-poole-trade">elder statesmen like CJ McCollum</a> around to set an example for the kids.</p><p>During Wizards Media Day on Sept. 29, the 34-year-old guard <a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1972745359882670452" rel="noopener">shared advice he gave</a> to No. 6 overall draft pick Tre Johnson, via Monumental Sports Network’s Chase Hughes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">After this video went viral GM Will Dawkins said the Wizards are trying to help Tre develop some hobbies. Here’s CJ McCollum in detail on why it’s actually pretty important: <a href="https://t.co/xMvkXYr5cD">https://t.co/xMvkXYr5cD</a> <a href="https://t.co/KgtSRL1dys">pic.twitter.com/KgtSRL1dys</a></p><p>— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1972745359882670452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“With the young fella from Texas, I was telling him ‘What else do you do besides play basketball?’ And I had to envision what it was like when I was 19. I was still in college, I wasn’t in the NBA,” he explained. “He was like, ‘I just sleep.’ I was like ‘Bro, you gotta find something else. You don’t play video games?’ He was like ‘No, all I do is hoop.’ I said ‘That’s great, that’s important, and that’s the type of mentality you gotta have. But you need an escape. This is about to be 82 games, practice every day, you’re only off once every six days. We’re gonna be in new cities every night. You’re gonna need something to do on that off day that’s not basketball. Massage, yoga, whatever.'”</p><p>Despite the assertive tone, McCollum wasn’t preaching to Johnson. Rather, the former NBA Most Improved Player saw his former self in the rookie guard, and he shared the lessons he learned when he was his age.</p><p>“We were just talking, and I was thinking ‘What did I do when I was 20?’ I was like ‘Damn, I didn’t have nothing,'” he admitted with a chuckle. “I played video games for a year, and then I stopped. I had my own radio show, so that was an hour out of the day where I could get away from basketball. But I said ‘It’s 24 hours in the day, you need some hobbies. I’ll send you some books, I’ll send you some stuff. But you gotta find something else that helps you escape the game. If you don’t have an escape, you’ll go crazy.’ That’s what I’ve noticed in this sport. Without balance, there’s chaos.”</p><p>Similar to Johnson, McCollum was a decorated collegiate guard who became a top-10 NBA Draft pick. The Ohio native earned AP Honorable Mention All-American honors twice at Lehigh University, set the Patriot League all-time scoring record, and became the first-ever Mountain Hawks player to enter the NBA when the Portland Trail Blazers selected him 10th overall in 2013.</p><p>On the other hand, Johnson was the SEC Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-SEC honoree with Texas last season before the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-tre-johnson-washington-rebuilding-puzzle">Wizards took him with the sixth pick</a> in June’s draft. The difference is that McCollum stayed in college all four years and graduated with a journalism degree, while Johnson went pro after just one season.</p><p>That extra time in school helped McCollum explore his passion for media, making him a well-rounded person before playing in the league. Johnson must figure out his non-basketball interests while navigating the NBA, but he luckily has a teammate who’s been in his shoes and wants to help.</p><h2><b>Brian Keefe, Kyshawn George discuss Wizards’ development style</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wizards-coach-Brian-Keefe.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Johnson isn’t the only person in Washington who could learn from McCollum’s work-life balance. Head coach Brian Keefe admitted as much to ClutchPoints after Friday’s practice.</p><p>“I probably should do better in that area myself,” the second-year coach said when asked if the organization pushes its players to explore off-court hobbies. “I probably wouldn’t be a good role model for that, so…”</p><p>The fact that McCollum is already filling in one of Keefe’s blind spots despite only being with the Wizards since June shows his value. They have the basketball work ethic down, so mixing that with fulfilling non-hoop activities could help their young players avoid being overwhelmed by the NBA grind. Naturally, that will help them perform better on the hardwood as well.</p><p>On that note, second-year guard/forward Kyshawn George described how the Wizards <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1973839452511572157" rel="noopener">develop their players</a> on Friday.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kyshawn George said that he thinks Bub Carrington is even more comfortable with his midrange jumper now, which was a strength last season. “I’ve seen him work on it all summer.”</p><p>George also praised the organization for how dedicated it is to developing players. <a href="https://t.co/lKPWPHYQa5">pic.twitter.com/lKPWPHYQa5</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1973839452511572157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“We were here on what, May 8? Working through May, June. Here for Summer League in July,” the 21-year-old said. “It just shows that we’re willing workers, and the organization is putting everything in order for us to be able to work. Coaches are here, strength and conditioning, the medical staff, everybody’s here for us to get better. They’ve done a good job of that.”</p><p>George also mentioned that he’s seen 20-year-old guard Bub Carrington’s midrange jumper improve recently, an anecdotal example of how their reps are paying off. Still, the former Miami Hurricane said nothing about non-basketball development, showing how McCollum’s philosophy is new for the Wizards.</p><p>General manager Will Dawkins was actually the first member of the organization to publicly say that it wants Johnson to <a href="https://x.com/chasedcsports/status/1973017213457318094" rel="noopener">pick up other interests</a>, which he did during his preseason presser on Sept. 24, via Hughes. At the same time, it’s different when a teammate emphasizes something than when an executive does, since players spend almost every day together. McCollum could be the locker-room “yin and yang enforcer,” ensuring that the young players maintain balance in their lives.</p><p>Johnson admitted on Media Day that he’s “not there yet” <a href="https://x.com/HenryJNBA/status/1972717735390949613" rel="noopener">in that regard</a>, via Sports Illustrated’s Henry J. Brown. On the bright side, Dawkins and McCollum have at least planted the seed, and the rookie has time to progress.</p><p>A rebuilding team trading for a veteran guard on an expiring contract isn’t the most consequential move on paper, but the former New Orleans Pelican’s influence could help Washington’s young core for years to come, even if he doesn’t stick around long-term.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How CJ McCollum has set new Wizards culture and standard for young core

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-cj-mccollum-admits-new-cba-is-not-perfect');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA news: CJ McCollum admits new CBA ‘is not perfect’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/New-Orleans-Pelicans-guard-CJ-McCollum.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA news: CJ McCollum admits new CBA ‘is not perfect’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-25T11:16:45-07:00">July 25th, 11:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-25T11:16:45-07:00">July 25th, 11:16am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum acknowledged that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celebrity/warriors-news-steph-curry-drops-gems-on-why-nba-players-are-underpaid">NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is flawed</a> but emphasized the progress made in player compensation and league growth during a recent appearance on The Young Man and the Three podcast.</p><p>McCollum, 33, joined Denver Nuggets forward Cam Johnson, Detroit Pistons guard Duncan Robinson, and Boston Celtics forward Georges Niang on the podcast to discuss the state of the league. When asked about the new CBA, McCollum offered a candid assessment.</p><p>“The CBA is not perfect like, I’ve never gone on the record saying that, but everything is negotiation,” McCollum said. “And I think we’re at that point now where the pot is continuing to grow, guys are continuing to make more money and there’s a lot of conversations about mid-level. There’s a lot of conversations about the non-tax payer mid-level, there’s a lot of conversations about the vet minimum, the max, and kind of where things are.”</p><h2><b>CJ McCollum highlights CBA gains but admits areas still need improvement</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CJ-McCollum-drives-to-the-basket.jpg"><figcaption>Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>McCollum <a href="https://youtu.be/gLS2Ad4gnsY?si=07ytGLH_RZqcalDR" rel="noopener">expanded on the deal’s broader impact</a>, highlighting both its improvements and remaining challenges.</p><p>“But from a statistical standpoint, we’re heading in a really good direction – guys are making more money and the mid-level is not being neglected and the statistics show it,” he said. “Although, there are some things that can be improved upon in the CBA. Obviously, we talk about the second apron, we talk about aggregating salaries, and there’s a lot more player movement right now… people have talked about free agency and how there’s changes.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“You shouldn’t be punished for drafting well.”</p><p>– CJ McCollum on the new CBA</p><p>(🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/OldManAndThree?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OldManAndThree</a> )</p><p><a href="https://t.co/HEvHir9YvP">pic.twitter.com/HEvHir9YvP</a></p><p>— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1948787343915163759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>He noted that increased parity across the league and active player movement have created a more dynamic environment, but reiterated the deal was not made to serve individual interests.</p><p>“This wasn’t a ‘my agenda’ type of situation. We had a collective bargaining agreement to try to do what’s best for the players and things were proposed and we had to have a conversation about it to kind of figure out what’s best,” McCollum said.</p><h2><b>Player dialogue and union gains seen as vital to future CBA improvements</b></h2><p>He emphasized the importance of ongoing dialogue among players to help shape future negotiations.</p><p>“All-in-all I think we’re heading in a good direction… and the more dialogue we can have, the more conversation that we can have in terms of ways to grow the game, the more players can continue to voice their thoughts and opinions, more so amongst us as players so that we can go to the bargaining table and have those discussions, I think it’ll be better,” he added. “But I think the game has grown immensely from 2013 to 2025. Guys make more money, our licensing checks have increased and you look at the TV deal and look at some of things we’ve negotiated on behalf of the players through the union, including our 2K deal, like we’re doing really well.”</p><p>McCollum recently concluded his 12th NBA season, averaging 21.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 56 games with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-wizards-cj-mccollum-jordan-poole-trade">traded to Washington this offseason in a deal that sent Jordan Poole</a>, Saddiq Bey, and the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft—used to select Micah Peavy—to New Orleans.</p><p>CJ McCollum served as the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) President from 2021 until 2025. He was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/nba-news-fred-vanvleet-succeeds-cj-mccollum-new-president-nbpa">succeeded by Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet</a> earlier this offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA news: CJ McCollum admits new CBA ‘is not perfect’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/portland-trail-blazers/trail-blazers-news-cj-mccollum-perfect-reaction-damian-lillard-portland-reunion');   ga('set', 'title', 'CJ McCollum has perfect reaction to Damian Lillard’s Trail Blazers reunion');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CJ-McCollum-has-perfect-reaction-to-Damian-Lillards-Portland-reunion.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>CJ McCollum has perfect reaction to Damian Lillard’s Trail Blazers reunion</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-17T19:00:54-07:00">July 17th, 7:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-17T19:00:54-07:00">July 17th, 7:00pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s home sweet home for Damian Lillard as he is set to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers/blazers-news-nba-watching-world-reacts-damian-lillard-portland-return">return to the Portland Trail Blazers</a>.</p><p>ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the news on Thursday, sending Rip City to a state of pure joy. As expected, Lillard quickly found a team after the Milwaukee Bucks unceremoniously waived him amid his Achilles injury.</p><p>Not many, however, predicted that he would return to Portland, where he had played from 2012 to 2023. The Trail Blazers selected him as the sixth overall pick and swiftly became the face of the franchise, leading it to multiple postseason runs, including the Western Conference finals in 2019.</p><p>The 35-year-old Lillard took to Instagram to share his reunion with the Trail Blazers, posting a video of his iconic No. 0 jersey in the locker room.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMOYSPchbRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p></p></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMOYSPchbRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Damian Lillard (@damianlillard)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>His former teammate, Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum, had the perfect reaction to the post: Three heart emojis.</p><p>Lillard and McCollum were longtime backcourt mates on the Trail Blazers and developed a close relationship. They formed one of the more prolific tandems in the NBA with their explosive scoring. The dynamic duo was broken up when Portland traded McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans.</p><p>Former NBA stars Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas, and Eddy Curry also reacted to Lillard’s post, expressing their support.</p><p>“How it should be!” wrote Wade.</p><p>According to the Associated Press, citing an anonymous source, Lillard agreed to a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trail-blazers-damian-lillard-34d08bcb8f2500a9956b3392680b0937" rel="noopener">three-year contract worth $42 million</a> to return to Portland.</p><p>The nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team member tore his Achilles in the Bucks’ first-round series against the Indiana Pacers in the last playoffs. He is set to miss the entire 2025-26 season after undergoing surgery.</p><p>The Bucks waived him earlier this month, stretching the remaining $113 million on his deal over five years. It allowed the squad to sign former Pacers center Myles Turner.</p><p>Before signing with the Trail Blazers, Lillard was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-rumors-how-miami-felt-signing-damian-lillard-blazers-reunion">linked to the Miami Heat</a> and the Boston Celtics, among other teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

CJ McCollum has perfect reaction to Damian Lillard’s Trail Blazers reunion

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/nba-news-fred-vanvleet-succeeds-cj-mccollum-new-president-nbpa');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fred VanVleet succeeds CJ McCollum as new NBPA President');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fred-VanVleet-of-the-Houston-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Fred VanVleet succeeds CJ McCollum as new NBPA President</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-12T17:15:31-07:00">July 12th, 5:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-12T17:15:31-07:00">July 12th, 5:15pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/10-greatest-undrafted-nba-players-who-have-won-an-nba-title-ranked">veteran guard for the Houston Rockets, Fred VanVleet</a>, has officially been <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1944163706063270093" rel="noopener">elected as the new president</a> of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1944163706063270093" rel="noopener">succeeding</a> CJ McCollum, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>The announcement was made following the NBPA’s annual summer Board of Player Representatives meeting. VanVleet, 31, will serve a four-year term as the union’s leader, representing all NBA players in critical matters ranging from collective bargaining to player rights and league policy.</p><p>VanVleet takes over from McCollum, who served as NBPA president from 2021 to 2025 after a prior three-year tenure as executive vice president (2018–2021). During his presidency, McCollum oversaw the negotiation of a landmark seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2023. That deal introduced significant changes, including the first and second apron system, ensured labor peace through the 2029–30 season, and included a mutual opt-out clause after the 2028–29 season.</p><p>As president, VanVleet will play a central role if the NBA and NBPA decide to renegotiate the CBA before its conclusion. He will work closely with the union’s executive director and executive committee, featuring long-serving members like Garrett Temple (vice president since 2017), to address critical league matters such as scheduling, revenue sharing, player safety, and discipline.</p><p>“It’s truly an honor to be elected as President of the NBPA by my peers, and I look forward to continuing to advocate for the best interest of all the members,” said VanVleet. “With a deep appreciation for the complexities and challenges players face on all levels of their NBA journeys, I am committed to approaching this role with the passion, dignity, and dedication every player deserves.”</p><p>Fred VanVleet’s <a href="https://www.nbpa.com/news/fred-vanvleet-elected-president-of-the-nbpa" rel="noopener">journey to this role</a> is a great example of what persistence can achieve. After going undrafted in 2016, he joined the Toronto Raptors and became instrumental in their 2019 NBA Championship run. He earned an All-Star selection in 2022 and has since signed multiple contracts that made him the highest-paid undrafted player in league history. His current deal with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-fred-vanvleet-sign-50-million-contract-extension">Rockets is a two-year, $50 million contract</a> signed in June 2025, following a previously declined $44.9 million team option.</p><p>In the 2024–25 NBA season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists across 60 games. He was one of just seven players listed at 6 feet or shorter to play at least 50 games. Off the court, VanVleet is widely respected for his leadership, professionalism, and advocacy for players’ rights, having previously led Toronto’s G League affiliate Raptors 905 to a championship in 2017.</p><p>McCollum will now serve in an advisory capacity to the NBPA, supporting VanVleet as he transitions into this leadership role. Former presidents of the union include Chris Paul and McCollum, both of whom held significant influence during their terms.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fred VanVleet succeeds CJ McCollum as new NBPA President

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-cj-mccollum-hilarious-first-tweet-since-blockbuster-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'CJ McCollum’s hilarious first tweet since blockbuster Wizards trade goes viral');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cj-McCollum.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>CJ McCollum’s hilarious first tweet since blockbuster Wizards trade goes viral</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-24T20:25:37-07:00">June 24th, 8:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-24T20:25:49-07:00">June 24th, 8:25pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards completed a polarizing trade with the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-wizards-trade-grades-for-jordan-poole-cj-mccollum-swap">moving on from Jordan Poole</a> and the almost $66 million left on his contract and welcoming in veteran guard CJ McCollum. The franchise is creating more financial flexibility in the long run and further reshaping the roster’s core. Many fans applaud the team’s big-picture outlook, while others think general manager Will Dawkins gave up too much.</p><p>McCollum is used to mixed reactions, considering he has played for inconsistent squads during his career and currently serves as NBA Players association president. Naturally, the 33-year-old’s departure from The Big Easy and transition to Washington D.C. commanded much attention on social media. <a href="https://x.com/CJMcCollum/status/1937597539353559424" rel="noopener">One post particularly caught his eye</a>.</p><p>“The funniest tweet I’ve seen today is that I’m going to get blamed for the tariffs now too,” McCollum remarked on X, adding a couple of laughing emojis and seemingly alluding to the controversial Collective Bargaining Agreement he helped put into effect in 2023.</p><p>Many people take issue with the increased luxury tax penalties that are in place, which make it difficult for teams to retain championship rosters for an extended period of time. The Denver Nuggets have watched multiple key members from their 2023 title squad leave the last couple of years and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">Boston Celtics just traded Kristaps Porzingis</a> and Jrue Holiday to avoid paying roughly $500 million in payroll expenses. When such sacrifices are made, the fans of these squads curse the name CJ McCollum.</p><p>Given his proximity to the White House, a tax joke was the low-hanging fruit that people could not help but pluck. Regardless of what everyone thinks about the CBA, this player can still make a positive impact.</p><h2><b>CJ McCollum can potentially help the Wizards in their ongoing rebuild</b></h2><p>The Wizards’ top priority must be developing young guys like Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington, to name a few, but McCollum can help them make strides on the floor and in the locker room.</p><p>He has constantly experienced adversity during his decade-plus run in the NBA, so hard times in Washington should not rattle his confidence. Ideally, the former Most Improved Player of the Year will understand his role on this rebuilding franchise and do his best to push the group through these persistent growing pains. He is a leader, and with that responsibility comes public backlash and frequent stress.</p><p>If McCollum can handle the challenges that lie ahead, the Wizards will take a clear step in the right direction.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

CJ McCollum’s hilarious first tweet since blockbuster Wizards trade goes viral

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-wizards-trade-grades-for-jordan-poole-cj-mccollum-swap');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans, Wizards trade grades for Jordan Poole-CJ McCollum swap');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Washington-Wizards-guard-Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pelicans, Wizards trade grades for Jordan Poole-CJ McCollum swap</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-24T13:56:31-07:00">June 24th, 1:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-24T13:56:31-07:00">June 24th, 1:56pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards both finished near the bottom of their conferences. However, both teams had different obstacles throughout the season. The Pelicans were ravaged by injuries, including one that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-cj-mccollum-shut-down-rest-season">ended CJ McCollum’s season in late March</a>. The Wizards, on the other hand, started the season hoping Jordan Poole could lead their group of young players.</p><p>When <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-wizards-cj-mccollum-jordan-poole-trade">New Orleans and Washington swapped McCollum and Poole</a>, fans wondered which team made out in the deal. The Pelicans have a younger, shoot-first guard to put alongside Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III. The Wizards get another veteran to help teach their young players with Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart.</p><p>Here are our trade grades for the McCollum-Poole deal for each team.</p><h2>New Orleans Pelicans: B+</h2><p>When New Orleans traded for Poole, it cleared up one of the biggest problems with their backcourt. Murray and McCollum co-existed well enough last season, but the overall offense struggled. Now, the Pelicans have a former champion who has no problem taking his shots when they come.</p><p>While he is not as good of a spot-up shooter, Poole could thrive in the chaos that Williamson causes as the ball-handler. Defensively, Poole does not offer much improvement over McCollum. However, with Murray back from injury and wings like Murphy III and Herb Jones, he won’t have to do much on that end of the floor.</p><p>Poole proved that he can still get his own shot when an offensive possession falls apart. At 33 years old, McCollum is not as fast as he used to be and struggles to get a step on defenders. Poole’s energy makes a big difference on a team looking to replicate the Indiana Pacers’ style of play. Getting <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1937589524114104829" rel="noopener">Saddiq Bey and a draft pick</a> in the deal should not be overlooked, either.</p><h2>Washington Wizards: B</h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/bucks-news-khris-middleton-wizards-kyle-kuzma-trade">Washington brought in Middleton</a>, Smart, and now McCollum to bring some balance to their roster. They could be trying to mimic what the Oklahoma Thunder did this season. Alex Caruso, Kenrich Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein were crucial to the maturity of the NBA champions.</p><p>At the very least, all three veterans are on expiring deals that will help clear the Wizards’ books before next summer. Washington’s rebuild started when they traded Bradley Beal away in 2023. Two seasons later, they already have four young players that could develop into stars. The Wizards could make it five if they hit on the No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft.</p><p>Washington and general manager Will Dawkins is not trying to win this season. However, moves like this one set the team up well moving forward without wasting the season. Now, it is up to head coach Brian Keefe to convince his veterans to impart as much wisdom as he can on players like Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans, Wizards trade grades for Jordan Poole-CJ McCollum swap

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-wizards-cj-mccollum-jordan-poole-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans, Wizards make CJ McCollum-Jordan Poole trade involving 4 players');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/New-Orleans-Pelicans-guard-CJ-McCollum.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pelicans, Wizards make CJ McCollum-Jordan Poole trade involving 4 players</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-24T12:21:48-07:00">June 24th, 12:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-24T13:19:17-07:00">June 24th, 1:19pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans are <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1937589524114104829" rel="noopener">trading</a> veteran guard CJ McCollum to the Washington Wizards in a package that sends Jordan Poole to New Orleans, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.</p><p>McCollum is heading to the Wizards along with Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick in exchange for Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the 40th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Pelicans now own the 7th, 23rd, and 40th picks in this year’s draft after agreeing to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-draft-trade-pelicans-before-nba-finals-game-6">trades with the Indiana Pacers</a> and the Wizards over the last week.</p><p>As he enters the final year of his contract, McCollum embarks on a new journey with his third different team after spending the last four seasons in New Orleans. He will make $30.6 million before entering free agency in 2026.</p><p>With a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-hire-joe-dumars-after-firing-david-griffin">new regime taking over for the Pelicans led by Joe Dumars</a>, this front office had been searching for ways to actively improve their roster around Zion Williamson. McCollum entering the final year of his contract provided the organization with a path to unload salary and immediately find an upgrade at a position of need.</p><p>The Pelicans have long been seeking backcourt help, and since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-dejounte-murray-season-ending-leg-injury-celtics">Dejounte Murray is still recovering from an Achilles injury</a> he suffered during the 2024-25 season, Poole will slide into a starting role in the backcourt.</p><p>Poole, 26, was a key part of the Golden State Warriors’ championship run in 2022 before he was ultimately <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-golden-state-agrees-jordan-poole-chris-paul-trade-with-wizards">traded to the Wizards in 2023 for Chris Paul</a>. This was a temporary move Washington made at the time, as they have now flipped Poole for quick cap relief.</p><p>In his two seasons with the Wizards, Poole averaged 18.8 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 35.3 percent from 3-point range. His dynamic play and ability to push the pace provide the Pelicans with playmaking and speed at the point guard position, two things they lacked with McCollum.</p><p>Bey is another intriguing player for the Pelicans to add to their roster. The 26-year-old forward spent all of the 2024-25 season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-saddiq-bey-season-ending-torn-acl">recovering from an ACL injury</a> he suffered in March 2024. Before this injury, Bey was a rising scoring wing on a lot of teams’ radar, and he even participated in Team USA activities during the offseason when he was with the Detroit Pistons.</p><p>He will make $6.1 million during the 2025-26 season with two years left on his current contract. This is an intriguing addition for the Pelicans, who already have Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones on the wing. It has become clear that the Pelicans have an agenda to add length and scorers on the wing, which is why taking a low-cost chance on Bey makes sense.</p><p>Both Poole and Bey are 26 years old, putting them on the same timeline as Williamson (24) and Murphy (25).</p><p>Along with sending McCollum to Washington, Olynyk and a future second-round pick are also now in the Wizards’ hands.</p><p>Olynyk was traded to the Pelicans before the trade deadline in February as part of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/toronto-raptors/raptors-news-pelicans-trade-brandon-ingram-nba-deadline">Brandon Ingram trade with the Toronto Raptors.</a> This will be the eighth team Olynyk has played for, although he will likely be on the move at some point in the near future since he will make $13.4 million in the final year of his contract.</p><p>Last season, Olynyk averaged 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 41.8 percent in 44 combined games with the Raptors and Pelicans.</p><p>By leveraging Poole and Bey, the Wizards were able to move off long-term contracts in favor of two proven veterans on expiring deals. When factoring in the other expiring contracts Washington owns with Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, and Richaun Holmes, the Wizards are projected to have close to $100 million in cap space for the 2026 offseason.</p><p>The Wizards continue to build on their young core, and they now have more experienced talents to help mold their recent draft picks and take them under their wings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans, Wizards make CJ McCollum-Jordan Poole trade involving 4 players

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-cj-mccollum-celebrates-brother-errick-at-euroleague-final-four');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ CJ McCollum celebrates brother Errick at Euroleague Final Four');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/New-Orleans-Pelicans-guard-CJ-McCollum.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pelicans’ CJ McCollum celebrates brother Errick at Euroleague Final Four</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-23T17:48:08-07:00">May 23rd, 5:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-23T17:48:08-07:00">May 23rd, 5:48pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum is coming off a tough end to his 12th year in the NBA. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-season-gets-worse-with-brutal-herb-jones-injury-update">The Pelicans were ravaged by injuries and never quite got their footing</a>. They ended up missing the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, starting their offseason early.</p><p>However, McCollum made the most of it, heading over to United Arab Emirates to cheer on his brother, Errick McCollum. CJ made the trip to the EuroLeague semifinals to cheer on his older brother as he and Fenerbahce beat Panathinaikos 82-76. McCollum had 13 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists in the win.</p><p>The McCollum brothers <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKARK0RvQJt/" rel="noopener">shared a moment</a> during the postgame show, where former EuroLeague and Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt applauded McCollum for his performance.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKARK0RvQJt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p></p></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKARK0RvQJt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@euroleague)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>“Tonight he sure was,” said Blatt about the MVP chants McCollum received. “I thought so. I thought he was the difference. Well deserved.”</p><p>The older McCollum brother was unable to find his way into the NBA but has had a long career playing overseas. Both he and his brother provide their teams with consistent scoring, even if they aren’t the biggest stars on their team. However, Blatt said that his performance against Panathinaikos was key to Fenerbahce’s win.</p><p>Errick is getting more postseason experience this year than CJ is. The Pelicans enter the offseason with a long list of questions to answer and McCollum is one of the them. Fans didn’t get to see what last year’s roster was truly capable of when at full health. Changes began when the team traded former All-Star forward Brandon Ingram to the Raptors.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-trade-proposal-for-giannis-antetokounmpo-in-offseason-after-trade-report">McCollum is 33 years old and could also be on the move</a>. He isn’t the scorer he used to be, but there are teams who could value his scoring off their bench.</p><p>Regardless of what happens to him this offseason, McCollum was sure to show his support for his brother. McCollum and Fenerbahce will play Monaco for the EuroLeague title on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ CJ McCollum celebrates brother Errick at Euroleague Final Four

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-cj-mccollum-shut-down-rest-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum shut down for rest of season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Pelicans-news-Zion-Williamson-CJ-McCollum-shut-down-for-rest-of-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum shut down for rest of season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T17:05:58-07:00">March 31st, 5:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T17:35:31-07:00">March 31st, 5:35pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans are going to finish what’s left of their schedule in the 2024-25 NBA regular season without the help of Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum, who have <a href="https://x.com/PelicansNBA/status/1906853112377221470" rel="noopener">both been shut down by the team</a>.</p><p>“The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to their respective injuries,” the team shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night.</p><p>McCollum has missed the last three Pelicans games due to a right foot bone contusion while Williamson has sat out the last five New Orleans outings because of a back issue.</p><p>The 33-year-old McCollum has not played since dropping 40 points in a 136-130 road loss at the hands of the Detroit Pistons on March 23.</p><p>Williamson, on the other hand, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/pelicans-vs-timberwolves-prediction-odds-pick-spread-3-21-2025">most recently played in a 119-115 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves</a> on March 19, scoring 29 points to go with eight assists and five rebounds plus three steals while shooting 12-for-16 from the floor in 30 minutes.</p><p>Amid New Orleans’ decision to make the season-ending announcements about the statuses of McCollum and Williamson is the fact that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-rookie-center-reflects-on-challenging-campaign">Pelicans have already been out of contention</a> for a spot in the 2025 NBA Playoffs and in the NBA Play-in Tournament. New Orleans only has a 21-54 record following a 98-94 victory at home last Sunday over the Charlotte Hornets, who are also eliminated from the playoff race. The Pelicans are sitting in the 14th spot in the Western Conference standings with only the 16-59 Utah Jazz owning a worse record.</p><p>With the latest update by the Pelicans, the 24-year-old Williamson concludes his sixth season in the NBA with averages of 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists plus a 56.7 percent shooting from the field through only 30 games.</p><p>As for McCollum, he put up 21.1 points, dished out 4.1 assists and grabbed 3.8 rebounds through 56 games while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and posting a 55.0 true shooting percentage in his third full season with the Pels, who acquired him via a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2022.</p><p>The Pelicans only have seven games remaining on their schedule before an early vacation.</p><p>New Orleans will play both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers on the road in their next two games on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, before a home date with the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. After that are two road games versus the Brooklyn Nets (Apr. 9) and the Bucks (Apr. 10). The Pels’ final two games of the season will be played in the Big Easy opposite the Miami Heat (Apr. 11) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (Apr. 13).</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum shut down for rest of season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/pelicans-cj-mccollum-on-what-hes-taking-advantage-of-while-playing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelican’s CJ McCollum on what he’s ‘taking advantage of’ while playing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Pelicans-CJ-McCollum-on-what-hes-taking-advantage-of-while-playing.jpg"></figure><h1>Pelican’s CJ McCollum on what he’s ‘taking advantage of’ while playing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-25T09:33:33-07:00">March 25th, 9:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-25T09:33:33-07:00">March 25th, 9:33am</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/pelicans-cj-mccollum-replicates-wild-franchise-feat-last-done-by-anthony-davis">CJ McCollum</a> isn’t waiting for retirement to chase his post-playing dreams. The New Orleans Pelicans guard has quietly carved out a lane in sports media, proving that brains and buckets can co-exist at the highest level. <a href="https://scoopb.com/2025/03/cj-mccollum-on-inspirations-adjustments-and-the-evolution-of-the-game/" rel="noopener">He’s leaning into his journalism</a> roots from Lehigh, where his passion for storytelling began well before he made a name for himself in the NBA, per ScoopB.</p><p>“<b>I’m taking advantage of it while I’m playing</b>,” McCollum said recently, reflecting on his dual commitment to the court and the camera. That mindset isn’t new. He discussed the idea of expanding his media presence before even entering the league. Now, more than a decade into his career, he’s delivering on that vision.</p><p>In 2022, ESPN brought him onboard as a multi-platform NBA analyst, marking a major step in his media journey. His debut came during the NBA Finals, but that was only the start. From contributing to NBA Countdown to appearing on First Take and SportsCenter, McCollum has become a sharp and articulate voice among active players. He’s also developing a podcast with ESPN, furthering his imprint beyond the hardwood.</p><h2><b>Insight On and Off the Court</b></h2><p>McCollum’s presence isn’t just felt through three-pointers and leadership with the Pelicans. As NBPA President, he has earned the respect of both teammates and executives. ESPN’s Head of NBA Production, David Roberts, noted his influence, calling him “one of the most respected players in the NBA.” That credibility gives McCollum’s analysis weight. His takes aren’t just opinions—they’re layered with experience, strategy, and insight.</p><p>Balancing media and basketball might seem like a lot, but for CJ McCollum, it’s part of the plan. Whether breaking down a zone defense or moderating a segment on ESPN, he’s showing the value of preparation and purpose. And in doing so, he’s redefining what it means to be a modern athlete: one who plays the game and tells its story, simultaneously.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.5	3.3	3.3	0.3	0.7

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
16.5	3.3	3.3	0.3	0.7

CJ McCollum news

CJ
McCollum news