CJ McCollum has spent the better part of 13 seasons overachieving relative to the sustainability of the roles he's been asked to play. Between his time with the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, and Washington Wizards, he was either in an undersized backcourt, playing out of position, or being asked to carry a team that wasn't ready to compete.
With the Atlanta Hawks, however, McCollum finally has a role that suits him—and he's playing it on a team that's currently on pace to make the playoffs.
McCollum has made 10 postseason appearances, playing 67 games and even reaching the 2019 Western Conference Finals. That would seemingly disprove this point, as the success he's experienced is nothing short of noteworthy.
The unfortunate reality of McCollum's postseason success, however, is that it's often come with a ceiling imposed by the very teams he's played for.
In Portland, neither McCollum nor Damian Lillard were renowned for their defensive proficiency. Considering Lillard is 6'2" and McCollum is 6'3", that inevitably created an uphill battle any time the Trail Blazers encountered teams with shooting guards who were even the average NBA height for their position.
It also gave opposing teams two players it could try to switch their taller scorers against, which explains why Portland only won three playoff series after McCollum became a starter.
CJ McCollum is finally in a role that allows him to play to his strengths
Fast forward to McCollum's next stop and he made two playoff appearances with the Pelicans. He was no longer in an undersized backcourt, but he was asked to play point guard when he'd previously been clearly established as a 2.
The fact that New Orleans made two playoff appearances with McCollum playing out of position is a feat unto itself, but it fails to overshadow the fact that he wasn't in the optimal role.
In Atlanta, however, McCollum is playing the exact role that suits him. He's operating as a score-first guard whose playmaking is a complementary skill, and is operating next to 6'5" defensive hound Nickeil Alexander-Walker and 6'7" Dyson Daniels, who was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year a season ago.
Though the Wizards admittedly played McCollum as a 2 and had size alongside him, they effectively asked him to try to carry them to the playoffs. Atlanta, meanwhile, has given him a role as a part of a broader system and approach.
CJ McCollum is surrounded by size and playmaking with the Hawks
With the Hawks, McCollum finally has the opportunity to go to the playoffs with a team and role that allows him to simply play his game. He's not operating as a point guard, as forward Jalen Johnson is a top-tier playmaker and both Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker offer complementary value.
McCollum is still averaging 4.0 assists per game for the Hawks, but he's able to create offense for others within the flow of the system rather than making a secondary skill his primary focus.
Furthermore, with size on either side of him along the wings, McCollum is ideally suited to perform on defense. He's facing less pressure in isolation and is thriving away from the ball, ranking in the 99th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index, and averaging 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per 36 minutes.
It's taken 13 seasons for it to happen, but McCollum is finally positioned to show exactly what he can do in a postseason setting when he's truly in his element.