CJ McCollum Falling Short as Wizards' Veteran Scorer

The Washington Wizards are, for the most part, still figuring out how to do their jobs efficiently in the NBA.

That notion applies to just about everyone in their young core, even if it means different things for each prospect. While Alex Sarr learned the hard way that he should be relying on his body and confidence down low to boost his rim finishing, Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington are still balancing when to shoot and when to drive and pass as pick-and-roll operators.

Those developing pieces have played a significant role in the Wizards' early 1-6 record, with the team opting to let them figure it out on the fly by providing the core prospects with rotational minute loads.

What's made less sense, however, is that the veteran scorer brought in to teach the youth and drain a few easy buckets of his own has been mired in his own struggles with efficiency. CJ McCollum hasn't pulled his weight on the court to this point, and though the Wizards don't mind losing games in the name of development, he's not helping his younger teammates within the bucket-getter niche he was brought on to continue filling.

How's He Let Down?

He came into DC with a much more impressive resume than the other go-to veterans that the young core's had to look up to, with his 10 consecutive seasons of averaging at least 20+ points making him a more impressive presence than younger, more erratic previous options in Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma.

He's only cracked that 20 point threshold once this season, though, requiring 20 shots to reach 24 points. That's been the story of his season so far; his totals have fallen off early, with his 13.4 nightly scoring average looking a long ways away from what he was posting last year, and he's taking a lot of shots to get there. He's shooting 37.2% from the field, and has only shot better than 42% once in seven games.

Washington Wizards Guard CJ McCollum — Oct 28, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) blocks a shot by Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) in the final seconds of the court quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

And he isn't just missing shots. A lot of his ball-handling possessions could be better suited in the hands of George, who's showing significant promise as a jumbo point guard and top-of-the-key decision maker. His passes are made with the intention of keeping his teammates involved, while McCollum's handoffs are usually resulting in a shot for himself.

The Wizards do need that professional scorer capable of getting the easier buckets that the young guys can't, and that's why he'll continue playing.

He's built a career out of getting his jumpers and drives to fall, and the hope remains that he'll rediscover that touch before the trade deadline, when it will be advantageous to reap an asset in exchange for McCollum's expiring deal. He could easily get hot again, but the fans will only get louder in continuing to request that his touches and shot attempts get redistributed around the starting lineup.

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