Blazers’ rookie CJ McCollum to be activated Tuesday
The Portland Trail Blazers will activate rookie guard CJ McCollum for Tuesday’s game at the Sacramento Kings, per a report from CSNNW.com’s Chris Haynes.
McCollum broke a bone in his foot prior to the start of the NBA regular season and recently was assigned to the Blazers’ D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, where he played in two games.
McCollum scored 13* and 24 points, respectively, in those games and reportedly will be eased into the Portland rotation.
The No. 10 overall pick out of Lehigh University in the 2013 NBA Draft, McCollum will eventually allow the Blazers to spell reigning Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard and incumbent two-guard Wesley Matthews for longer periods.
McCollum, according to multiple sources, can create his own shot and should bring a steady stream of bench points and three-point shooting to a team already adept at scoring.
Behind Matthews on the Portland bench there isn’t really much – backup point guard Mo Williams combines with Lillard at times in the backcourt – and Dorell Wright is better served as a small forward behind Nicolas Batum.
With McCollum, Portland will have another rotation option and a chance to have a full bench with Thomas Robinson/Joel Freeland/Meyers Leonard backing up LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez; Wright backing up Batum; McCollum backing up Matthews and Williams backing up Lillard.
Whichever combination(s) they use, McCollum will be a welcome addition, eventually, to a team leading the NBA in scoring at 108.7 points per game.
*Corrected from the earlier report of 14.