CJ McCollum's 2022-23 NBA Season in Review

After a February 2022 trade that meant a cross-country change of address from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf South for McCollum, the veteran helped lead New Orleans to a memorable trip to the NBA playoffs, his ninth straight postseason appearance. Entering this season, one of the sport’s most accomplished guards looked forward to a full training camp and the opportunity to build from Day 1 with the Pelicans. Everything was going exactly according to plan – until the calendar flipped to 2023. Not long after Zion Williamson’s Jan. 2 hamstring injury, McCollum sustained a thumb injury that impacted him for a lengthy stretch. So much so that the Lehigh University product indicated on April 12 that he could’ve undergone surgery “three months ago” to fix the problem. Instead, the Ohio native opted to play through thumb and shoulder issues. For some chunks of the season, you needed to watch closely to notice a difference in the 2013 lottery pick’s performance, but ultimately he saw his shooting percentage drop (from 49.3 to 43.7) and couldn’t reach the clockwork efficiency he’s displayed as a pro for a decade.

“It affected it a lot,” McCollum said of the right thumb’s impact on his game and shooting. “I delayed (thumb surgery) to try to help our team get to the playoffs. We came up short. I hurt my shoulder (recently) – that’s why I was playing with the long sleeve on it. I was doing all I could to try to help the team and give us positive contributions. I’ll go to the doctors and see what I have to do to get ready for next season.”

During his final media session, McCollum estimated that of the 75 games he played, “half” of them were with a “messed-up thumb.” He deemed it encouraging that he and the Pelicans did everything within their power to try to achieve goals. “In my eyes, (the season) was a success because I did all I could to play,” he said. “We did our best; we just didn’t succeed down the stretch. Being over .500 (at 42-40) was a success. Did we accomplish all of our goals? No. But in life sometimes you’re not always going to do that. Turn the page and figure out how you can improve for the next time.”

In playing a prominent role as New Orleans posted its first winning regular season since ’17-18, McCollum also appeared in his most regular season games since that same campaign (81 of 82 for Portland). Coincidentally, that was also the year that the Pelicans swept McCollum’s Trail Blazers in the first round of the West playoffs. McCollum set career highs for totals in a range of categories in ’22-23, including three-pointers made (211), rebounds (328) and assists (429), despite being hampered physically. However, during his season-closing interview April 12, McCollum focused more on the progress of his teammates: “This season was a testimony to a lot of players working hard and developing, getting better. Obviously Trey Murphy got a lot better and showed a lot of growth. (Brandon Ingram) took another step, (as did) Herb (Jones). It gave younger guys a chance to show their development and growth. I think that was a positive you can take out of this season. If you look at the growth we had, it was positive steps in the right direction.”

Career playoff games for McCollum, who had been 9-for-9 in reaching the playoffs prior to this season. As a franchise, New Orleans has played a total of 56 playoff games. Asked on April 12 how he viewed the campaign overall, McCollum replied, “I need some more time to really think about the season… but I like to compete in the playoffs. This is the first year I won’t be.”

Games in which McCollum shot under 30 percent from the field in his 75 games played. It’s difficult to pinpoint in data how McCollum’s injuries affected him, partly because he experienced many peaks (45 percent three-point shooting in March was his hottest month, for example), but perhaps it can be best shown in outlier performances. During the ’21-22 season he split between Portland and New Orleans, he shot under 30 percent in only five games.

Ten months after arriving in the Crescent City, McCollum put his name in the franchise record book by draining 11 three-pointers against the 76ers. The whole night was a virtual “heat check,” with him only needing 16 attempts to do so. He totaled 42 points during what – particularly in hindsight – proved to be the high point of the campaign for the West-leading Pelicans.

One of the most eventful Pelicans victories of the season was sparked by McCollum’s ultra-efficient, 31-point night, which featured 10/16 shooting from the field and 6/9 three-point accuracy (Jones and Murphy also tallied 30-plus points against the Grizzlies).

McCollum also notched a 40-point game vs. San Antonio on Dec. 22, but let’s give this performance the nod, based on the caliber of competition, as well as the victory’s significance within the West play-in tournament race (the Pelicans qualified, the Mavericks did not). McCollum scored 19 of his 32 points after halftime, going 6/8 beyond the arc overall.