CJ McCollum talks Game-High 33 in Win | Pelicans-Jazz Postgame 1/23/2024

CJ McCollum talks Game-High 33 in Win | Pelicans-Jazz Postgame 1/23/2024

You guys put up that 153 tonight I think the NBA should give us three days in between games more often um it was nice to be able to work out you know kind of have real practices scrimmage uh be intentional about what we want to improve on and um allow it to translate

Into the game Z had 11 assists just what do you think about the way he spread the ball around did a good job of being aggressive getting downhill um taking advantage of whatever the defense gave him guys made shots obviously uh I stepped out of bounds so

That was one assist I cost him and then I missed it wide up in three so he should have had 13 but I think he did a good job of just playing aggressive being intentional with his decision making and being forceful uh with with how he tried to make plays an emphasis

For the Pelicans coming off last season was like we just need to take a lot more threes like did you did you intentionally come into this season and be like you already took them and made but like you’re like I want to I want to

Up it even more yeah I mean I’m a career 40% three-point shooter so um I’ve been shooting threes for a long time I just played to the offense when I was in Portland I I played off the ball alongside Dame and then I would play on

The ball as backup point guard so a lot of pick and rolls a lot of flare screens and I’ve been in the league for a long time where they give you the mid-range shot you know early on in my career they kind of give you that shot so that’s the

Shot I kind of mastered and worked on and obviously I could always shoot threes but just kind of take what the defense gives me understanding how our offense is going to be this year and um how it’s going to be utilized we played a lot without Z or

Without bi um last year so the role was different how I was utilized was different and you I know how to adjust I’m a pro I know how to work on my game and figure out how to be um intentional with uh my my preparation and the communication with with Willie was that

I was I’m going to need to shoot more threes and I said that’s fine with me I three is more than two so I have no problem doing that just just being intentional with the preparation how I work finding the spaces getting comfortable um shooting threes when you’re tired especially off the dribble

Um so that’s just conditioning that’s working certain spots being able to shoot two feet off the line three feet off the line uh I had a little drop in my percentage you know from 25 ft and up it’s like a 10% drop so I had to just

Get back in the lab and kind of work you know those areas understanding that I should shoot like 42% from three so what’s the threshold for that how many reps do I need a day in the summer how many reps do I need during the season

How much should I left so I can maintain um the strength the balance the stability to to be able to produce and I’m doing the work so that’s the result what’s kind of burun through your mind when you see the play where herb is the block and then the

Ste yeah I mean herb is a fantastic player man great team teammate the guy goes 8 for nine tonight Corner threes you think he’s last 84 85 games he’s shooting damn near 40 from three um that right corner he going miss in that right corner he shoots the ball really well from there

He does his he does his work on a day on a daily basis uh he prepares he’s a great defender upside on the ball off the ball and you know I think the way he plays is is is something that I’ve never really seen before from especially from

A young player just selfless just does all the the dirty work um and doesn’t doesn’t often get the credit he deserves especially from the media um especially from the league in terms of voting he should be first team on defense and just uh see just how he’s progressed offensively how much does

That help you especially with that starting gr knowing that a lot of yeah uh it’s just the conversation that we’ve had in spacing spacing is important and as he continues to get more comfortable in those Corners uh he’s going to really help our team he’s

Going to make a lot of money and he’s going to be a game changer cuz he can also attack the basket he’s got better at finishing he’s a good passer he makes the right decisions and always plays under control so we can hit them Corner threes um it’s going to it’s going to

Change the the game for him and for us franchise or excuse me 41 assists tonight 153 points with 35 fast break points how much would you say honestly did those two practices help you I know you mentioned of course days off help but how about the practic well it helps

When you get your butt kicked um like we did against the Sun so you just got to figure out how do we get how do we move forward and get better from this and you learn some some things about yourself positive POS positives and negatives in

Terms of how to prepare better so the practices helped losing helped it’s always good to respond well after a loss CJ when you say is you you mean as as the team right yeah yeah yeah just a little bit on yourpo process um how much of it you know you talked

About the preparation when it comes to lifting and and looking at everything in collectively how much was it kind of looking at hey uh if I adjust the amount of I increase here you know my expected values go up here expected values is funny I think it was a combination of

Things like I’ve gradually increased my three-point attempts on year year over as the game has evolved as the defenses have changed um I can make midies I still will take some I just understand the numbers I understand the spacing I understand the units that I’m playing with and somebody

Got to shoot threes right like being honest like Z’s going to play in the pain be will shoot him but he’s more midies he’s more Rim herble shoot Corner threes but like I’m a 40 plus I don’t know what I’m shooting I’m probably shooting 45 from three right now on high

Volume so it’s like why would I not shoot threes if I’m only to be able to if I can get five catch and shoot threes a game I’ll shoot 44% from three cuz I’m going to make two out of four on a off night I’m going to make two out of five

Off the dribble so like I like the numbers I like the margins but it’s also understanding a deep two like it’s a tough shot for me I’m 6’3 it’s a hard shot for me on the move so like I just got used to floaters paint finishing

Short mides so this year my diet is more short mes I don’t take a lot of them but if I get in the pain I’ll stop and shoot shoot a short midi if I’m if I’m at a at a if I’m under 15 ft I’m trying to get

My feet dirty and get in the paint if I’m above 15 ft I’m trying to take a three so if I’m dribbling if I’m moving around I’m looking I’m I’m gauging the spacing it’s like playing the numbers um and that’s what you work on in the

Summer is how do I get back behind the line or just get downhill make a play for somebody else so that’s kind of how I approach this season it was like no more deep twos unless I have to then I’ll do it but I don’t want to shoot

Deep twos if I’m shooting a med it’s Chris paing in so that’s like 14 ft and in trying to get as close as possible to the paint um otherwise I’m trying to shoot threes did the staff have a discussion with you going the season or more like you kind of reflected upon

Your own season combo combo I have a lot of people that I work with who break down film for me um so from um a guy I worked with in the past uh John John Yim to AJ digs and then I bring it all back and then me and Casey

Sit down then me and Willie sit down I’m like this is how I feel I can be most successful they tell me how they feel I can be most successful Willie said I need to shoot 10 threes a game he said you need to come in the best shape of

Your life Casey was like we got to work on our shot diet uh we got to get better at pain finishing we got to get better at our pick and roll our points for possession got to be higher and if I’m making threes and pick and roll that’s

Three points in The Possession if I can throw the lob to Z getting downhill that’s helpful so it’s just understanding the game and understanding how I can be successful um for this season and beyond for my career um if you can shoot threes at a high

Level this it’s hard to guard you I can get to the cup I can make plays so it was just a a really smart decision on how to be more efficient if I’m not going to get free throws I got to make threes and layups you’re probably aware

Of this but you’re having a career year in a number of different categories obviously tell me about them well you know you’re let’s talk about it you’re having a career year a lot of advanced metrics you know a lot of those Allin one true shooting keep going rates highest youres you know

All that wind shares that’s a good one what my plus minus yeah your plus minus is also you know uh anyways you’re having a career year in in a lot of those numbers um is it is it rewarding to see hey like I the work that I’m putting in my thought process is

Actually you know coming yeah I I sacrifice a lot to be um able to do this I spend a lot of time working on my my game eating right going to sleep early normat Tech PT work massage in the gym at night in the gym in the morning workout after practice I

Sacrific a lot to be successful at basketball um when I was doing three of days in the summertime I knew um this was an important year for myself and my family and I didn’t like how last season ended and I didn’t like um how I played

Obviously I was hurt and there’s a lot of things going on um from from from our team standpoint but I said you know what I’m just going to control what I can control contr and that’s you know taking advantage of a long summer that I’ve never had before I never had that much

Time to get better usually I was in the playoffs so I got the rehab and then I started my two days and I started my three days and I said all right this is how I’m going to be good throughout an entire season and so far it’s worked out

Pretty well of the game were you think about chasing 11 I didn’t know how many threes I had until I came out I ask and they said nine I said uh I missed four in I missed three threes in and out and the last one was wide open so I said I

Could have at least had 11 but I’m just trying to win games and go home CJ we saw Joel go for 70 last night cat had 62 but you think maybe the best version of this team is when you guys are all running together pushing you know with

Pace and then looking for each other because there are so many weapons yeah I mean some nights it’s going to be different people um as long as we play fast and make the right decisions the best players the cream rise to the the cream going rise to the top so you don’t

Have to try to score it’s just going to happen organically as long as you’re playing aggressive that’s when you get the double and you make the right play that’s when they don’t double and you shoot it and sometimes you shoot over the double but I think for us it’s just

About playing hard and executing game plan and it’s going to be what it’s going to be

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum’s postgame interview after the Pelicans’ win against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Jan. 23 during the 2023-24 NBA season.
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New Orleans Pelicans Roster
———————————————–
Jose Alvarado #15 Guard
Dyson Daniels #11 Guard
Kaiser Gates #12 Forward
Jordan Hawkins #24 Guard
Brandon Ingram #14 Forward
Herbert Jones #5 Forward
E.J. Liddell #32 Forward
Naji Marshall #8 Forward
CJ McCollum #3 Guard
Trey Murphy III #25 Guard
Larry Nance Jr. #22 Forward
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl #50 Forward
Matt Ryan #37 Forward
Dereon Seabron #0 Guard
Jonas Valanciunas #17 Center
Zion Williamson #1 Forward
Cody Zeller #44 Forward-Center

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