Atlanta Hawks shooting guard CJ McCollum continues to defy Father Time with a style of play that shouldn't suit him. The 34-year-old has hit the ground running in Atlanta by attacking the basket—a physically demanding approach to dismantling opposing defenses.
Though conventional wisdom suggests McCollum shouldn't be one of the NBA's best at driving the lane and scoring in bunches, he continues to find new NBA life by doing exactly that.
McCollum has averaged 11.9 drives per game since being traded to the Hawks. That ranks second on the team behind Jalen Johnson. He's also scoring 7.0 points via drives per contest, which again has him behind only Johnson—by just 0.9 in 6.9 fewer minutes.
Throw in the fact that McCollum is shooting 51.6 percent on drives and what he's accomplishing at 34 years of age is sincerely remarkable.
Take his full-season statistics and the 6'3" McCollum ranks No. 10 amongst qualified players who are 6'4" or shorter in drives per game. The oldest players ahead of him would be Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell, who are 29 and in their athletic primes. The only unqualified player would be Grayson Allen, who's 30.
Despite all signs pointing toward McCollum being out of his depths as a drive-first player, only five of the aforementioned individuals ahead of him are more efficient on drives than he is.
Hawks guard CJ McCollum is thriving by driving despite being 34
McCollum's success when attacking the basket has played a definitive role in both his and the team's success. Since joining the Hawks, he's averaging 18.7 points, 3.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 2.2 three-point field goals made in 28.4 minutes per game, shooting 45.7 percent from the field.
What his success on the drive has afforded him is the opportunity to produce those efficient numbers despite shooting an uncharacteristically low 34.7 percent on three-point field goals.
That makes it all the more exciting to note that McCollum has shot 40.4 percent from beyond the arc over the past seven games. It's also made him almost impossible to predict on offense, as he's just as likely to take his man off the bounce as he is to bury a jumper with even the slightest bit of space.
The results of such unpredictability include the Hawks winning each of the past five games during which McCollum has scored at least 20 points.
With McCollum and Most Improved Player candidate Nickeil Alexander-Walker combining for 20.4 drives and 12.0 points via drives per game, Atlanta has rival backcourts on their heels. With both players simultaneously proving capable of burying the three-ball, All-Star forward Jalen Johnson has the perfect offensive teammates in the backcourt.
If McCollum can continue to defy Father Time in the playoffs, then the Hawks may very well make noise and prove just how far ahead of schedule they are in their rise to prominence.