8. C.J. McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans
Even though he's very much passed his prime at this point in his career, the continued production from the shooting guard position by C.J. McCollum can't be overlooked. Over the course of his career, McCollum has consistently been one of the most productive players at the position. And even though his production has begun to take a hit, as he prepares for his age-33 season, there's no question in my mind that McCollum is still a top-10 shooting guard in the league heading into this year.
We could see another dip in production this season as the New Orleans Pelicans acquired Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks, but McCollum is still going to do what he does best on the offensive end of the floor. Perhaps in a more comfortable role as a third option on the team, McCollum could see an uptick in efficiency.
If the Pelicans do emerge as somewhat of a surprising threat in the Western Conference this season, you'd have to imagine that the continued production from McCollum is going to be a big part of that.