It took just 5 games for the CJ McCollum experiment to go off the rails

The Atlanta Hawks had high expectations for CJ McCollum, but his five-game tenure has been a disaster.

After trading Trae Young for McCollum, the Hawks presumed the longtime Damian Lillard co-star would be a player who could help develop their young teammates. Unfortunately, this has been far from the reality on the court.

McCollum is a bucket, no doubt, but he has also been hesitant to pass. Whether you call him a ball hog or a black hole on offense, neither of these qualities are particularly promising for the development of the young Hawks that need touches: Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and Zaccharie Risacher (when he returns from injury).

Through five games, Johnson’s usage has dropped significantly, and the forward has not played well alongside CJ. This is a critical failure, however, as Johnson’s development should be the franchise's top priority. 

McCollum's MLK Day disaster should seal his fate

The McCollum experiment hit rock bottom in Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. The game itself was a tale of two halves: the Hawks were ice-cold in the first half and on fire in the second. After a painstaking comeback from 23 points, Atlanta found itself down two with 11 seconds left. 

McCollum raced the ball down the floor, and Hawks fans around the world groaned in disgust. You could just tell he had no intention of passing the ball, from his quick pace running the court to his eyes, which were glued to the floor. 

With six seconds left, McCollum lost control of the ball. After bending awkwardly to regain control, he took a shot that was nothing short of disastrous. Facing the sideline, McCollum’s footwork resembled a post fadeaway, but his body was not positioned to create space as a normal post fade would. He rose up and was smothered by his defender, forcing McCollum to take a double-clutch shot to avoid a travel. As you would expect, the shot clanked off the front of the rim. Ballgame.

While one loss means little in the grand scheme of Atlanta’s plans, this was a valuable learning moment for the young core. Jalen Johnson has never been the guy in the clutch, and even players like Daniels could benefit from learning how to use his unique skillset in such a situation. But alas, The President used his executive privilege in a way that was ultimately harmful for the team.

McCollum just isn’t playing the way Atlanta needs him to. He’s shooting a dismal 43.5% EFG, dragged down by a horrifying 5/27 clip (18.5%) from deep. Even worse, he’s been a black hole on offense. While he is early into his Hawks career, he clearly isn’t the type of player Atlanta needs.