Portland Trail Blazers: 5 goals for C.J. McCollum in 2017-18

5. Stay healthy

In his last two seasons as a starter for the Portland Trail Blazers, C.J. McCollum has missed a total of four games. Knock on wood, but McCollum’s status as an iron man has been a great sign for a franchise that’s had such poor luck with injuries.

It’s also important McCollum remains healthy due to the fact that much of Portland’s offense relies heavily on him. According to NBA.com, the Blazers average at least 109.0 points per 100 possessions when McCollum is on the floor. When he’s off the floor, they average just 105.0 points per 100 possessions.

In addition, according to Basketball-Reference.com, the average 3-point shooting percentage (by team) in the NBA last season was 35.8 percent. Following the Allen Crabbe trade earlier this summer, the Blazers currently have just three players that played more than 42 games and shot at or above 35.8 percent — and McCollum leads all three.

His ability to space the floor becomes even more of a necessity going into this season if the Blazers are unable to find another legitimate long range shooter.