Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum signed a four-year, $106 million extension.McCollum, 24, was the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2015-16, averaging 20.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in his first season in an expanded role after LaMarcus Aldridge departed before the season as a free agent.McCollum and point guard Damian Lillard are the new foundation of the Blazers, who upset the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2016 playoffs before being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors. The 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, McCollum will play this season on his existing deal before the new four-year agreement kicks in next summer, when the collective bargaining agreement is likely to be adjusted and spending thresholds increase for teams courtesy of a new television and digital rights agreement deal.

Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, who more than tripled his scoring average from the previous season, has been named the NBA's Most Improved Player.McCollum, 24, is the winner of the 2015-16 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, the league announced Friday.The 6-foot-4, 200-pound McCollum joins Kevin Duckworth (1987-88) and Zach Randolph (2003-04) as the only Trail Blazers to earn the award, which is designed to honor an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.McCollum received 101 first-place votes and 559 total points from a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Guard Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets (seven first-place votes, 166 points) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks (four first-place votes, 99 points) finished second and third, respectively. Reigning MVP Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors received seven first-place votes and was fourth in... [More]

McCollum overcame a 6-for-21 shooting night to finish with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and a blocked shot over 33 minutes in Monday's preseason loss to the Jazz.

With Damian Lillard sitting out with a left ankle injury, McCollum saw extended minutes at point guard for the first time all preseason, but didn't exactly fare well in that capacity. The extra attention he received from the Utah defense likely impacted McCollum's poor shooting night, and he struggled to distribute the ball as well, committing five turnovers. Better days are likely ahead for McCollum, who should be in line for a huge step forward in his third NBA season with huge backcourt minutes likely awaiting him this season. He's already shown flashes of what he can offer by scoring at least 15 points in each of the last three preseason contests.

McCollum contributed 19 points (7-13 FG, 4-6 FT), five assists, one steal and one block in a win over Golden State on Thursday.

McCollum is one of the breakout candidates of the season, as he may see the largest boost of minutes out of any player in the association. He has some fantastic ability to score, as he once led the NCAA in that category at his time at Lehigh University. It's hard to judge exactly what he'll do, but he should have no problem seeing 25-plus minutes per game with all the departures Portland had in the offseason.

McCollum had his team option exercised by the Blazers on Wednesday.

The move is just a formality at this point, as McCollum is obviously an important piece in the franchise's long-term plan. McCollum will be locked in through next season on his rookie deal, and he'll be eligible for free agency in the summer of 2017.

McCollum appears in line to start at shooting guard for the Blazers this season after general manager Neil Olshey listed McCollum amongst Damian Lillard, Al-Farouq Aminu, Meyers Leonard, and Mason Plumlee on the Lowe Post podcast. "We believe that Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu, Meyers Leonard, and Mason Plumlee ... can do what [our young core did when I was with the Clippers]," Olshey said.

Olshey used to be the general manager of the Clippers when they had Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan, Aminu, and Blake Griffin all playing together, and Olshey was trying to make the point that this new young Blazers roster is built to grow on Lillard's career trajectory, similar to how the Clippers were built to grow around Griffin. It's good to hear what the team's plan is, because it gives us a better understanding of how the rotations might fall, which helps project fantasy value. Though Gerald Henderson's place on the roster makes McCollum's value still somewhat suspect, there are plenty of reasons to think McCollum is in position to have a career season and possibly a good enough one to make him worth drafting in the later rounds of standard leagues right now.

McCollum will man the point much more often during the 2015-16 season, The Columbian reports.

In his initial two NBA campaigns, Mo Williams was followed by Steve Blake as the primary backup to Damian Lillard, which combined with Nicolas Batum's penchant for handling the rock to limit McCollum's reps as a ballhandler. Now than Blake is out of the picture, McCollum and Tim Frazier exist as the sole reserves that can play point guard. However, general manager Neil Olshey stated in Thursday's news conference that McCollum will receive "a lot" of the work behind Lillard this season. Among McCollum's 100 regular-season contests, he's dished a career-high four assists on two occasions, while averaging 0.9 per game. He may not experience a significant increase in dimes, but at the very least, his expanded role should ensure reliability in terms of points and three-pointers following his impressive showing in the most recent playoff run by the Blazers.

McCollum will practice with Portland's Summer League team but does not think that he will play in any games, Casey Holdahl of The Trail Blazers reports.

McCollum had a breakout performance in April with Wesley Matthews (Achilles) and Arron Afflalo (shoulder) missing time. During that month, McCollum averaged 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.3 steals and 1.4 three-pointers in 27 minutes on 53 percent shooting from the field. With Matthews (free agency/injury) and Afflalo (free agency/injury) possibly moving on to new teams this offseason, McCollum could easily step into an expanded role as a starter next season.

McCollum finished the 2014-15 campaign with averages of 6.8 points (on 44 percent shooting), 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.9 three-pointers, and 0.7 steals in 16 minutes across 62 games, including three starts.

McCollum was a fixture off the bench for the first 11 games of the season, but a fractured right index finger sustained on Nov. 17 forced 14 absences in a row. Upon his return in mid-December, he struggled to earn consistent minutes in the rotation, and his playing time all but dried up after Arron Afflalo was acquired at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, McCollum's saving grace doubled as the development that utlimately sunk the Blazers' season: Wesley Matthews' torn Achilles on Mar. 5. McCollum proceeded to play an imperative role in the next 21 games, during which he averaged 10.9 points (on 48 percent shooting), 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 three-pointers, and 1.0 steal in 22 minutes. Because Afflalo entered the playoffs with a sore shoulder, McCollum was utilized more than at any point in his two-year career, scoring at least 18 points in the final three contests of Portland's first-round series against Memphis. He culminated the run with 33 points on the backs of seven three-pointers, which marked the first time in NBA history that a reserve achieved such a line in a postseason outing. The performance provides the Blazers' brass with a backup plan in the event that Matthews signs elsewhere during the offseason.

McCollum scored 33 points (12-20 FG, 7-11 3Pt, 2-4 FT) with three rebounds in 39 minutes during Wednesday's Game 5 loss to the Grizzlies.

McCollum played 32 minutes per game in the series averaging 13 points per game. The Blazers have a number of players out of contract this off-season. McCollum is one to watch heading into next season as he could take on a big role depending on who head office decide to bring back.

McCollum poured in 18 points (8-12 FG, 2-2 3Pt), five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 35 minutes during Monday's win against the Grizzlies.

McCollum's potential was on full display, as he drove to the hoop time after time, and the Grizzlies seemingly could find no answer. Working within the flow of the offense, the performance was all the more impressive and earned him a place in the Blazers' crunch-time lineup, which outscored Memphis, 29-12, over the final 8:48 of the contest. After a slow start to the series, he's averaging 22 points (on 62 percent shooting), 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 2.0 three-pointers, and 1.0 assist in 31 minutes over the last two games.

McCollum stumbled his way to six points (3-13 FG, 0-4 3Pt), three rebounds, and one steal in 29 minutes during Wednesday's defeat at Memphis.

The Blazers' picture at two-guard was a muddled mess heading into the postseason, and after Arron Afflalo (shoulder) ruled himself out of Game 2, Crabbe got the nod instead of Game 1 starter CJ McCollum. Although McCollum is more willing than Crabbe to exert his will, the former has hit just 19 percent (4-21) from the field through two tilts in this first-round series. If Afflalo returns to action Saturday, as expected, McCollum should retain a decent bench gig. However, McCollum's slump clearly hinders his fantasy utility.

McCollum will come off the bench Wednesday at Memphis, The Oregonian reports.

McCollum got the nod in Sunday's playoff opener, posting a disappointing two points (1-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt), five rebounds, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes. With the burden of his first postseason start off his shoulder, he can focus his energy on his strengths, namely scoring in a variety of ways.

McCollum (ankle) struggled in his Game 1 start against the Grizzlies on Sunday, posting just two points (1-8 FG), four rebounds, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes of action.

While it wasn't great to see him go 1-for-8 from the field, it is encouraging to see him rack up defensive stats as a consolation. He's seeing the bulk of the minutes at the shooting guard spot, and it's likely this trend will keep up moving forward.

McCollum (ankle) will start Sunday's Game 1 against the Grizzlies, CSN Northwest's Jabari Young reports.

With McCollum starting alongside Damian Lillard in the backcourt, Allen Crabbe and Alonzo Gee will both come off the bench. The starting gig should come with plenty of minutes, but McCollum might've had a higher usage rate in a bench role.

McCollum (ankle) is listed as probable for Sunday's playoff opener in Memphis.

McCollum's availability backs up his statement Friday that he's "ready to go" for Sunday's contest. He displayed his readiness by making hard cuts on his left ankle during Friday's practice, and injuries to the wing rotation could very well result in the start at two-guard. On the other hand, coach Terry Stotts may desire McCollum's offense off the bench, meaning Allen Crabbe appears to be the other candidate to receive the nod.

McCollum (ankle) said that he's "ready to go" for Sunday's postseason opener at Memphis, The Columbian reports.

During a strenuous workout Friday, McCollum was able to cut hard off his left ankle, which he sprained Monday and forced a DNP in Wednesday's season finale. Depending on the health of fellow wing Arron Afflalo (shoulder), McCollum may be a consideration for the starting five Sunday. In any case, McCollum is in line for significant run, as he aims to score in double figures for the eighth time in nine games. Throwing Monday's abbreviated outing out the window, he averaged 17.3 points (on 56 percent shooting), 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 three-pointers, and 1.4 steals in 28 minutes in the previous seven.

McCollum (ankle) was moving well on his ankle during Friday's practice, Erik Gundersen of The Columbian reports.

McCollum left Monday's game after rolling his ankle and was held out of Wednesday's regular season finale. His availability for Game 1 of the postseason was thought to be in jeopardy, but if Friday's practice is any indication, it looks like McCollum will be good to go. With Arron Afflalo's (shoulder) availability up in the air, McCollum could start at shooting guard Sunday.

McCollum (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday's season finale, The Oregonian's Joe Freeman reports.

Allen Crabbe and Alonzo Gee are poised to play huge minutes on the wing Wednesday as Nicolas Batum has also been ruled out.

McCollum (ankle) is uncertain whether or not he'll be able to play in Wednesday's regular season finale against the Mavericks, broadcaster Casey Holdahl reports.

McCollum sprained his left ankle in Monday's game against the Thunder and should be considered day-to-day moving forward. Most importantly, Portland already has a spot in the playoffs and may ultimately choose to rest McCollum as to not risk further injury before their playoff campaign even begins.