19. C.J. McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans
Heading into this age-32 season, there’s a good chance that C.J. McCollum is entering the non-prime chapter of his career. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Just because McCollum may no longer be in the prime of his career, that doesn’t mean that he still can’t be an effective and difference-making player. And that’s exactly what he has been for the New Orleans Pelicans for the past season and a half that he’s been with them. That’s not expected to change heading into the 2023-24 season.
McCollum is an underrated non-star lead guard. In fact, he may be the best of the bunch. He’s clearly the best point guard in this tier 4 and you can probably make an argument that he deserves to be a few spots higher. However, I’m projecting a bit of a step back due to age and Father Time.
If the Pelicans can remain healthy all season long, and that’s a big “if,” this is a team that can make some noise in the Western Conference – which we saw for the first half of last season. And if they’re able to do that, McCollum will undoubtedly be a bit part of their success.