C.J. McCollum has been a staple for the Blazers for years now, but fans can often be ruthless when it comes to criticism. For C.J., most of the gripes are on the defensive end, where he is widely considered a below-average defender.
Following their latest loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, fans ripped into him once again for his lackluster performance defensively. Eventually, his brother, Errick, came to his defense, pointing out (incorrectly) that his high defensive rating is proof he is actually a defender.
https://twitter.com/ErrickM3/status/1382439900914540544
Portland’s team avg defensive rating is 116.1…. Team is better with him on court defensively. He’s an above avg defender on this team.
— Errick McCollum (@ErrickM3) April 14, 2021
Considering defensive ratings are supposed to be low, Errick disproved the very argument he was trying to make. Naturally, fans flamed him online for the misunderstanding.
https://twitter.com/BayAreaPB/status/1382446634550759424
CJ is above average according to every defensive metric! pic.twitter.com/JGW6Z6HxSW
— Saint Basil (@StBasil215) April 14, 2021
Higher defensive rating is worse…
— Colin Clawson (@colin_clawson) April 14, 2021
I know CJ’s mad af that you took it upon yourself to be loud and wrong. Opening him up to slander unprovoked😭😭😭
— sandie (@sandiesideup) April 14, 2021
When CJ McCollum is on the court, the Blazers have a defensive rating of 114.6 points/100 possessions.
With CJ on the bench, the Blazers have a defensive rating of 119.7 points/100 poss.
That’s a defensive on/off rating of -5.1.
That’s the stat to use to defend CJ, my guy.
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 14, 2021
Sorry big dawg but the higher the number means the worse the defensive rating.
— T75 DAME (@KindredSwerv) April 14, 2021
Delete this big man pic.twitter.com/s8sdpESkLI
— its over🍷 (@SonicsPlsExist) April 14, 2021
For some reason, confusing the correlation between high defensive rating and low defensive rating is a common mistake among NBA fans, and even some players.
In Errick’s case, he just learned the hard way.
