There has been a greater focus in the past 24 hours on what Trae Young will bring to his new team in Washington, but Rod Beard of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that CJ McCollum could be a valuable rest-of-season addition for the Hawks.
While Young has battled injuries and has been available for just 10 games so far this season, McCollum appeared in each of the Wizards’ first 35 contests and was off to a strong start for his new team, averaging 18.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per night, with a .454/.393/.804 shooting line.
Beard acknowledges that McCollum isn’t the play-maker that Young is, but observes that the 34-year-old should provide a little more resistance defensively than the longtime Hawk. McCollum has also historically been a more efficient scorer with a lower usage rate, which could make him a good fit alongside Atlanta’s current top scorers, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
We have more from the Southeast:
- After a 1-15 start to the season, Washington has posted a more respectable 9-11 mark, including a recent stretch of five wins in seven games. According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, several Wizards believe a November 16 players-only meeting was a turning point in the team’s season. “We weren’t meeting that standard at the time,” big man Marvin Bagley III said. “I think that meeting was well-needed. I spoke up and said my piece, and guys in the locker room spoke up as well, and we had a good talk. I think we came out closer as a unit, and it makes us understand each other more and want to go out and compete for each other. You can see it.”
- Orlando will be making a bid to host the 2030 NBA All-Star Game, as Jason Siegel, the president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission announced on Thursday. Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) has the story on the bid, which he says the Magic support.
- Speaking of the All-Star Game, Heat guard Norman Powell believes he “definitely” has a strong case to play in this year’s event, but he says he learned after last year’s snub not to get his hopes up, per Ira Winderman of The South Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “I want to make it. I think I deserve to make it,” said Powell, who is averaging a career-high 24.3 points per game on .490/.423/.861 shooting. “You know, my peers around the league after games and things like that are telling me that I’m an All-Star and that I should be there.”
- In his return from a toe injury on Tuesday, Heat guard Tyler Herro came off the bench for the first time since the 2023/24 season. Speaking after the game to reporters, including Winderman, Herro downplayed the subject, suggesting that it was “not really an adjustment” to be a reserve and that he was just grateful to be playing at all. “Just being out there was my biggest thing that I wanted to feel, and that’s how I felt,” he said. “I felt good. I’m healthy. So I just want to be available and be healthy.”