Back on July 12, Hawks guard CJ McCollum joined Sirius XM NBA Radio for a brief interview.
McCollum touched on many aspects from his limited time with the Hawks thus far, highlighting his respect for Quin Snyder's leadership, emphasizing Jalen Johnson's work ethic, and even discussing his investments into the wine industry.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of this interview, however, was when CJ McCollum talked about his first couple of seasons in the NBA. McCollum emphasized that, even as a highly-touted lottery pick, his development still took time to fully blossom.
Coming out of LeHigh University, CJ McCollum had high expectations for a mid-major collegiate athlete entering the 2013 NBA Draft. After averaging nearly 24 points a game his senior season, McCollum was drafted tenth overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Even with a college resume as decorated as McCollum's, he still entered the league with tremendous odds to overcome. His first two seasons with the Trail Blazers saw McCollum receive only minimal action, averaging five and six points per game, respectively, in those two seasons.
In year three, however, CJ McCollum's production skyrocketed as the coaching staff gave him more minutes. McCollum jumped from 6.8 PPG in his sophomore season, to a staggering 20.8 PPG just the very next season, where he eventually won the Most Improved Player award.
McCollum's developmental path was similar to Zaccharie Risacher's
McCollum's talk regarding his first two seasons highlight an uncanny parallel with former Hawks #1 overall selection, Zaccharie Risacher, who has struggled to find his role as he continues his development into his junior season.
In this interview, McCollum also highlighted the things he focused on in the offseason to elevate into the player we now know him to be. He mentioned that he looked at his limited playing time optimistically, seeing it as film to study rather than a stain on his ability.
In addition, McCollum also emphasized the importance of a strong mentality while developing, further explaining that his junior season success was largely in-part due to his readiness when the opportunities presented themselves.
This mentality, combined with a relentless work ethic for improvement each offseason, is a major catalyst as to how McCollum was able to develop into the player he is today. For Zaccharie Risacher, this is the same blueprint that he should follow, and it's a blessing that his blueprint for success will be right there in the building.
In order for Risacher to make that leap in year three, he needs to value these opportunities that he's already getting. This means treating every in-game rep as an opportunity to refine a skill, no matter what that skill may be.
Developing Risacher doesn't mean that Risacher needs to become a different player, it just means that he has to refine the player that he already was when he was first drafted back in 2024.
Nonetheless, it will be a steep climb for Zaccharie Risacher to make in one season, but he gets to practice with a player who's been in his shoes before and found success in the storm.
This moment in McCollum's interview with Sirius XM was more than just an interesting tidbit, it was a direct comparison to him, the player that he became, and Zaccharie Risacher, the player that CJ knows that he can become.
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