The Atlanta Hawks made a two-for-one deal when they cut ties with Trae Young this season. CJ McCollum was the headliner of the package.
So far, the McCollum experience hasn’t gone great in the eyes of many Atlanta fans. With his shot selection frustrating spectators throughout his first few weeks of the team, McCollum has caught some heat on social media as of late.
But after a big night against the Indiana Pacers, he sent a message to his doubters.
Via @CJMcCollum: Long season. Don’t fret. I really do this
McCollum’s message came right after he went 9-15 from the field and 5-7 from three, scoring 23 points in 28 minutes of action. He nearly locked up a triple-double after dishing out seven assists and coming down with eight rebounds.
The Hawks collected a comfortable victory over Indiana, winning 132-116.
In the seven games leading up to Monday’s action between the Hawks and the Pacers, McCollum averages 17.3 points per game, while shooting 43 percent from the field. Following his run with the Washington Wizards, McCollum has been struggling from three, going from hitting on 39 percent of his shots to just 26 percent with Atlanta.
Clearly, McCollum isn’t bothered by it. He was having a strong season with the rebuilding Wizards before the trade and seems to be confident in his ability to get settled and begin having a major impact for the Hawks, who are playoff-hopefuls this year.
After a win over the Pacers, the Hawks are 23-25 on the year. They are in the midst of a three-game winning streak, collecting six wins over their last 10 games. Atlanta has a three-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for the tenth seed. They trail the ninth-seeded Bulls by just one game.
The Hawks will be back on the court on Wednesday night for a battle against the Boston Celtics.
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