New Orleans Pelicans’ CJ McCollum on Zion Williamson’s level headedness and his professional influence on team (EXCLUSIVE)
Seemingly every game has coincided with either a loss, a serious injury or both.
But even with New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum nursing a season-ending right foot injury amid a campaign that will end with a missed playoff appearance, he appeared at a recent morning shootaround in relatively high spirits.
McCollum rode on an exercise bike, marking a critical first step in his recovery since suffering a right foot contusion on March 23 in Detroit. McCollum also bantered with teammates.
Though the Pelicans (21-55) enter Friday’s game against the LA Lakers guaranteed to miss the NBA playoffs, McCollum has maintained a constant presence around the team both during his rehab and on the sideline.
“I can go down the list of how professional CJ is,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said.
Green raved about how the 33-year-old McCollum “leads by example” with his dietary and training habits. Though McCollum demands plenty from his teammates, including Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III, Green noted that he often takes those same teammates out to dinner to further cement a bond and trust
“More NBA teams need guys like him,” Green said. “It’s really helpful for our young players to have more veterans on our teams that can show them how to be pros. And CJ has been doing that for our group.”
McCollum spoke to Sportskeeda about how he fulfills that role during a challenging season, how Williamson has handled his season-ending back injury, Murphy’s growth and more.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.
I’m sorry about your injury news. How are you holding up with it?
McCollum: “A contusion is no joke, but it could’ve been much worse. Unfortunately, I’m out for the season and it didn’t go as planned. But there’s a lot to learn from, a lot of moments of adversity and struggle and lots of nights of losing basketball. But it gives you an appreciation of the game and how important every day is with the preparation.”
I understand maybe it’s fluid. But what’s your sense on what recovery looks like this summer?
McCollum: “One of the reasons why I was in a position not to play the rest of the season is so I don’t have to go through a summer of recovery. I’m able to go into the season healthy. By the time I was going to come back, the season was going to be over so it didn’t make sense to rush a foot injury considering my foot history.
"I’ve had a number of foot injuries. Once I realized where the contusion was and the timeline around it, it didn’t make any sense to come back.”
Okay, so it’s more about recovering in the spring?
McCollum: “Yeah, I’m doing recovery right now. I’m ramping up as if I’m going to return to play. I’ll be okay.”
I see you’re already on the bike.
McCollum: “Yeah, I’m working out.”
What do the next steps look like after that?
McCollum: “Well the biggest thing since there is a contusion there [in my foot], if I get hit or my son drops a toy in my foot area or anything like that, then there’s pain and discomfort. So we’re working on the side-to-side movement and stuff now.
"I’ve been on the court for a few days slowly ramping up. I’m doing more stuff and will eventually do contact [work] by the end of the week. My calendar is fluid as if the season is going to continue to progress. But I’ll be good in about five to seven days.”
You mentioned the growth moments. What’s stuck out to you?
McCollum: “A lot of younger guys getting opportunities obviously to play and step up to a different role and take on more than they probably expected early on. The ability to play with different lineups and ability to see what it’s like and see what it takes to be a pro. I think for a lot of guys, it’s different. You think you want certain things and then you get it. Then you think, ‘This is harder than I thought.’
So it’s unfortunate for our fans and for us that we had to go through that as a team and not be able to have our best players consistently healthy for us in the season so we could have our best lineups. But it’s part of the league, and sometimes there are things that you can’t control. It’s more about how you respond to it.”
How have you seen the group respond to it?
McCollum: “Well, considering the circumstances. Guys have had to be a part of different roles. I saw a stat that we had 40-something different starting lineups. (42 entering Wednesday’s game against the LA Clippers). There’s been a lot of movement and a lot of change. I think that’s been difficult for everybody.
"But from a perspective standpoint, you play a sport for a living, you do your best, you work hard, you prepare, some years it doesn’t go as planned. But for me, I approach the year with the right attitude. I worked out. I prepared. I did the best that I could to get ready for a season. Then I gave it all my all. That’s all you can do.”
I remember last year you mentioned that your message to Zion was to ‘just stack the days.’ From your view, what did stacking the days for him look like through his ups and downs this season?
McCollum: “I think he maintained a higher level of professionalism throughout the injury process, recovery process and even now. Obviously, he’s still getting his conditioning in, still treating his back and making sure that he’s heading in the right direction as we head into the summer. You don’t want to lose momentum.
"Even if you’re injured, you don’t want to lose momentum in the summer. That’s why I’m still training and the workload is similar as a game-like setting as it can be considering my circumstances because my calendar is my calendar. And I want to make sure that I keep it on track as if the season ends on April 12, 13 or 14 as opposed to March 30.”
When you’re talking about Zion’s professionalism, what examples jump out that capture what he’s shown with that?
McCollum: “I think it’s just his body and the way his body looks. Considering the fact that he hasn’t played a game in weeks, it speaks to the professionalism and speaks to the approach and consistency with his conditioning. He’s getting on the treadmill. He’s getting his sprints in, the resistance stuff, the lifting, the boxing. It’s all of those things.
"He’s been saying it a lot lately that ‘I’m doing the job. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. I’m being consistent.’ He’s learned a lot from osmosis, watching, observing and seeing how I approach the game. Also, he sees the results. The results matter. He’s gotten the results that he’s wanted. From a consistency standpoint, his work ethic stands out.”
What are his next steps next season?
McCollum: “Putting together a full season of professionalism, consistency and all the things that he’s displayed, especially since his most recent injury. It’s about being able to do that for an entire season. It starts with the offseason. It’s about having a hell of a productive offseason so you can hit the ground running. It’s about being consistent with your preparation, being consistent with your work and being consistent with your plan.
"I think all of those things matter. He’s heading in a really good direction. He has a good plan in place. He has a good understanding of what it takes to be able to have success. He’s gotten some taste of success in small spurts. And now it’s about stacking them through an entire season.”
Trey said to me earlier that he really credited your mentorship with being an example and your feedback on how to navigate double teams. What feedback have you given him?
McCollum: “Continue to fall in love the process. He works hard and loves the game. He’s consistent in his ability to show up early and to stay late. He’s mixing in the right type of rest and taking care of his body. Mentally, he’s understanding that he’s going through some difficulties with injuries and surgeries, and things of that nature.
"But in the grand scheme of things, he has the keys and the knowledge to overcome it. So he's going to be successful going forward. The unfortunate part is he got hurt. The good news is that he’ll be back at the start of next season."
McCollum continued:
"It’s unfortunate that he’ll have to rehab in the summer and go through those things. But he had a really impressive season. He grew. He developed. He was able to experiment with his game in terms of expanding his handle, his creativity, his ability to draw fouls, his range, and like you said, playing through double teams.
"With being on top of the scouting report, all of those things were good experiences for him to grow into next season.”
I understand you all can’t completely control injuries. But if this core stays consistently healthy next season, what can it do?
McCollum: “Going forward, we can accomplish a lot. The past is the past. We’ve been injured. This season has been out of reach with our ability to accomplish the things that we wanted going into it.
"But if we can be healthy, stack days and put together a full season, then I think the ability to win and the ability to be in the playoffs and have success is in front of us.”
You’ve always been known with being a pro throughout your career. But in the context of this season, what has enabled you to stay that way through all the turbulence?
McCollum: “Understanding your ‘why.’ I have a small amount of time to play the game that I love. And I want to maximize each day. I can’t allow for the doubt to creep in, the complacency or the ‘woe is me.’ No one is going to feel sorry for me. I live a good life. I have a beautiful family. I’m thankful for the life that I live. I know why I play the game. I want to maximize my talent. Regardless of circumstances, I have an opportunity to display the talents that God has given me each day. So I want to maximize those talents.
"Wins or losses, you can’t change through that. It can’t change how I approach each day. It can’t change the type of man I am, the type of husband I am, the type of son, brother, teammate, father. All of those things are consistent. I have to be consistent with my approach. This was a challenging year. This was probably the most challenging year that I’ve been through. But I’ve learned a lot about myself. Adversity builds character and a greater appreciation for what’s success and what success looks like.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.