CJ McCollum has been a fantastic addition to the New Orleans Pelicans, instantly becoming the team’s point guard and locker room veteran. CJ is also the President of the Players’ Association, which makes him a widely trusted figure across the league.
His presence on the Pelicans helped them spark a late-season comeback to make it to the playoffs. The front office must be hoping that his presence can also bring Zion Williamson back to the court after he sat out the entirety of last season due to knee injuries.
McCollum has tried building a relationship with Zion repeatedly, with many believing that Zion is a distant teammate. However, CJ has defended Zion against the negative perceptions about him in sports media.
"There's this misconception of what he's like as a human being. He's nice, he's fun-loving, he's from the south… the cool part is that his teammates like him. I've enjoyed my experiences with him"
🗣️ CJ McCollum on Zion Williamsonpic.twitter.com/KxJS0RTLz1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 6, 2022
“There’s this misconception of what he’s like as a human being. He’s nice, he’s fun-loving, he’s from the south, he loves is southern cuisine. The cool part is that his teammates like him. You see the media and how he is treated, he doesn’t speak very often because he has a lot of people that speak for him behind the scenes. One of the things he will do this season is be present. Not just for the media, but for his team. All in all, I’ve enjoyed my experiences with him. He works extremely hard.”
McCollum saying Williamson will ‘be present’ shows that there definitely was some major discordance between the organization and Zion. Whether McCollum can be the bridge for that is yet to be seen. Zion will be in the last year of his rookie contract next season and will be angling for a max extension based on what he did in his one healthy season with the team.
Hopefully, we see the former Duke Blue Devil back on the court next season alongside CJ. Considering how they made it to the playoffs without Zion, it seems the team could be a lot better when the former top pick in the 2019 Draft returns to action.
