Being a basketball player isn’t only about everything we see on the court. There is a lot that happens in the locker rooms and team meetings. The pressure of being a professional extends further than just performing on the court. No one knows this to be more true than CJ McCollum. The NBA’s President of the Player Association was a recent guest on The Draymond Green Show.
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Last year, CJ was part of the blockbuster deal that sent the All-Star to the Pelicans. In the podcast with Draymond, the Pelicans star spilled the beans on how he has navigated his way into the Pelicans’ locker room while being the young team’s cornerstone.
Also Read: Zion Williamson Warned LeBron James About Himself Far Before He Had Even Made it to the NBA
CJ spills the beans to Green on mentoring Zion and The young Pelicans squad
CJ McCollum was the guest for the recent episode of The Draymond Green Show. The two have battled each other on and off the court in their many years in the league.
The Pelicans All-Star, when being asked how he managed the transition into being a veteran on the Pelicans team, told Draymond that
“I didn’t force it, I just wanted to show it and set an example for all the guys. I didn’t want to be like those old heads who were always talking. Getting my work in and taking care of my body. I set an example, I always read the room and tried to understand the guys. I let the guys understand that CJ is a certain kind of way and goes about his business in a certain way. After that I always let the guys know what I felt about them. I didn’t sugarcoat anything. I told them that I was open to criticism and that anyone from the starters to the end of the bench could approach me if they felt I was doing something incorrectly.”
Draymond furthered the conversation and asked McCollum about his relationship with Zion. CJ responded,
“I never forced anything. We have our lockers next to each other. We sit next to each other on the bus. I broke my foot three times, and we had that in common. I just asked him about his surgery, if he was doing his rehab if he had a therapist. From there, it just grew naturally. We are closer now. I now let him know about my opinions”.
CJ McCollum and The Pelicans this Season
The Pelicans are struggling again this season. The Pels were hot out of the gates this season, clinching the top spot in the West early. But with the injury bug hitting the locker room again, The pelicans are finding it tough to stay above 500.
The Pelicans’ All-Star veteran is helping things stay afloat in New Orleans. With injury reports pointing to a possible return of Zion before the All-Star break. The team could push for a late playoff run.
It would be interesting to see if the addition of a veteran leader like McCollum could be the catalyst for the young team to finally make a deep playoff run and win the West like many are predicting.
