Portland Trail Blazers: C.J. McCollum Has More Than Filled Wes Matthews’ Void

C.J. McCollum has more than filled the void by Wes Matthews in the Portland Trail Blazers’ starting lineup

This season was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Portland Trail Blazers. It was supposed to be Damian Lillard versus the rest of the NBA.

But 10 games into their season, the Blazers are staying afloat – they’re one of six teams with four wins in the Western Conference – due in large part to the emergence of third-year guard C.J. McCollum.

Up until this point, McCollum has been spectacular for the Blazers, averaging 21.4 points, 2.9 assists and four rebounds per game.

McCollum was a bit of mystery after injury-riddled rookie and sophomore campaigns, and it was unclear whether or not he could fill the void that veteran shooting guard Wesley Matthews occupied.

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Not only did the Blazers lose Matthews, but they lost four additional players that accounted for 54 percent of the Blazers’ total points, which made Portland hard-pressed to find a variety of scoring options in order to remain relevant in the Western Conference.

But in the early going, McCollum has answered any questions regarding the guard position opposite Lillard in resounding fashion.

In addition to out-producing Matthews, the pair of Lillard and McCollum has been provided more than enough scoring to keep defenses honest, combining for 46.7 points per game.

On offense, McCollum is averaging more than double the points Matthews is, while shooting slightly better from the 3-point line and over seven percent better from the field.

Defensively, he’s still a work in progress, as his defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor) is still a pedestrian 108.

It is true that Matthews is still continuing to work himself back from a torn achilles, but McCollum is even on pace to be a far more productive offensive player than Matthews was last season.

McCollum is set to average 5.5 points better per game, while shooting better from the field and 3-point line.

And although McCollum dazzles with his ball handling ability and outside shooting, he is even more aggressive than Matthews was getting to the line 3.2 times a game, as opposed to Matthews’ 2.4 last season.

Yes, McCollum is only starting his 13th regular season game, and he could very well cool off, but he already has three games where he has scored 25 points or more – including 37 points with six 3-pointers in the season opener against the Pelicans – which indicates that he is more than capable of pouring in points on a nightly basis. Moreover, McCollum hasn’t scored less than 15 points in a contest this season, demonstrating that he isn’t an enigmatic scorer in the vein of a J.R. Smith or Gerald Green.

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Granted, the Portland Trail Blazers may not replicate last season’s fourth place finish in the Western Conference this season, the development of McCollum and Lillard’s continued growth and leader, has them poised to fight for a spot in the postseason.