Re-Drafting the 2013 NBA Draft

66. <p><strong>Original pick: Alex Len</strong></p> <p>The NBA’s reigning “Most Improved Player” lands in his rightful place among the top five picks.</p> <p>McCollum was a virtual unknown until late in the NBA Draft process, as he played his college basketball in obscurity at Lehigh. That, coupled with the fact that he barely played as a rookie, sent McCollum’s stock cratering as of the 2014-2015 season, but things changed in a hurry for the talented shooting guard.</p> <p>He exploded in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, averaging 17 points per game while making 48 percent of his three-point attempts, and McCollum was able to build on that during his breakout year in 2015-2016. That season earned him the aforementioned MIP honor, and McCollum averaged 20.8 points per game while making nearly 42 percent of his long-range attempts.</p> <p>Damian Lillard, for good reason, takes much of the credit for Portland’s unexpected surge in recent days, but McCollum is a real factor as well. He is something of a combo guard given his slight build, but as a shooter, McCollum’s impact is very real, and he can also serve as a secondary ball handler with ease and effectiveness.</p> <p>When it comes to the current construct of the Suns, this wouldn’t be a great fit, but in retrospect, grabbing the best player available is almost always the best move and C.J. McCollum fits that bill here.</p>. SG. Lehigh. C.J. McCollum. 5. player