CJ McCollum could get a bucket in just about any way imaginable. But did his shoot-first mentality always help the Blazers? This October 2018 player analysis takes on that question. Here’s some historical context to go with the original video.
Looking back: When CJ’s shoot-first mentality worked—and when it didn’t
Historical update (November 2026): Back in 2018, the Blazers had one of the NBA’s most dangerous scoring backcourts in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. CJ was brilliant at creating space with his handle, getting to his midrange spots and making difficult jumpers. But he was a scorer first, and that could be frustrating when the offense stalled. Was he taking the right shots? Could he do more to set up teammates? And could two offense-first guards take Portland deep into the playoffs?
The numbers captured that identity pretty well. McCollum averaged 21.0 points and 3.0 assists in 2018–19, shooting 45.9% from the field and 37.5% from three. Those were excellent scoring numbers. The relatively low assist total reflected a role that emphasized creating shots for himself, although it doesn’t tell the whole story about how the Blazers ran their offense.
And sometimes, having a guy willing to shoot was exactly what Portland needed. In Game 7 against Denver in May 2019, Lillard struggled to find his shot, but CJ went off for 37 points in a 100–96 victory that sent Portland to its first Western Conference Finals since 2000. CJ even made a huge chase-down block. If he had spent that afternoon passing up those difficult jumpers, the Blazers might have been going home instead. NBA.com’s retrospective on that performance is worth revisiting.
Of course, the limitations of the Dame–CJ pairing never entirely disappeared. They were both terrific offensive guards, but the lack of size and defensive strength in the backcourt made building a contender difficult. Portland eventually broke up the duo, trading McCollum to New Orleans in February 2022 in a deal that brought Josh Hart, other players and draft picks to Portland.
CJ continued scoring for the Pelicans, moved to Washington in 2025, and joined Atlanta in January 2026 as part of the Trae Young trade. Eight years after we asked this question, he was still an NBA guard whose greatest strength was putting the ball in the basket.
So was CJ too shoot-first? Sometimes, sure. There were possessions when another pass might have helped, and games when the ball stopped moving. But that same confidence made him an exceptional shot-maker and a major reason Portland reached the 2019 conference finals. For all the debate over his approach, I wouldn’t trade that 37-point Game 7 performance for a few extra assists.
For more from that 2018 preseason debate, see our Jimmy Butler trade discussion, which revisits the idea of a deal involving McCollum.