Grading CJ McCollum's return for desperate and depleted Pelicans

CJ McCollum got off to a hot start for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2024-25 NBA season. The team entered the campaign with high hopes after getting a slimmed-down Zion Williamson coming off of the healthiest year of his career and trading for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. As a 12-year veteran, CJ’s days as an elite player are limited and he came into this season guns blazing, hoping to help lead this Pelicans team to an unexpected title run.

In his first three games, CJ was on a mission, having averaged 23.3 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. He struggled heavily in his fourth outing, putting up just five points on 2-8 shooting. After that performance, he was ruled out with a right adductor strain that would wind up costing him 13 games.

When CJ initially landed on the injury report, the Pelicans were 2-2 with a world of possibilities still in front of them, even with him, Dejounte Murray, and Trey Murphy III sidelined for the foreseeable future. He couldn't have anticipated just how bad it would get for New Orleans, as he returned to a team that sat at 4-13 after even more injuries started to pile up. Unfortunately, the Pelicans can't afford to give CJ McCollum time to ramp up, but he responded well in his first game back from the infirmary.

CJ McCollum looks polished after a 13-game absence

CJ McCollum went nearly four weeks in between professional basketball games, and his first half against the Indiana Pacers was indicative of the time he missed and the rust that built up during that furlough. In the first two quarters, he tallied just seven points on 3-8 shooting, missing a few bunnies as he worked to regain his sea legs.

After the intermission, though, CJ turned it on, knowing that the Pelicans would need his shotmaking and veteran leadership. He dropped 16 points in the second half on a 50-percent clip, looking like the player from the first three games of the season. He didn't force anything, letting the game come to him and allowing Elfrid Payton to run the offense. He was able to hit timely shots to keep the Pelicans in the game down the stretch.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though. New Orleans did see Tyrese Haliburton put up 34 points and 13 assists on their heads and CJ played a large part in that. He also tallied just one assist to one turnover in 30 minutes of action.

The offense took just one half to come back to him, and it's nice to know that the Pelicans will have another reliable source of offense to lean on now. CJ will have to be better as both a playmaker and a defender if New Orleans is going to save their season, though.