CJ McCollum’s Atlanta Hawks tenure is serving as a trial run for Darryn Peterson, and it is working out perfectly.
Expectations were not necessarily high for McCollum entering this team. Filling the void Trae Young left behind was no small feat, and it’s no secret that the Lehigh product’s best days are behind him. I personally hoped the Hawks would move on from McCollum before the deadline to take a swing at a young talent who is unhappy in their current home, such as a Kel’el Ware, Cam Thomas, or Jonathan Kuminga (who, of course, ultimately found his way to Atlanta regardless).
It’s safe to say that I was wrong about McCollum. In fact, alongside Jalen Johnson, McCollum has been the better fit than Trae Young, even though the latter is clearly the superior talent.
Darryn Peterson and Jalen Johnson would be an unstoppable 1-2 punch
If the Kevin Durant Suns taught us anything, it’s that versatility is king in the NBA. Sure, you need elite scoring options, but you also need high-level defense, rebounding, passing, and leadership.
Johnson, unlike most stars, doesn’t count scoring as his primary skill; his rebounding and passing talent is at a higher level than his scoring, both statistically and by the eye test.
While he has improved in the halfcourt tremendously this year, Johnson hasn’t quite reached the Jayson Tatum/Luka Doncic tier of playmaking forward to justify rolling him out as the heliocentric offensive leader. He certainly can create his own shot, but where he truly thrives is when an advantage has already been created – transition, in the pick and roll, and after a teammate has already drawn help. In an ideal world, Johnson would be your second-best scorer on a playoff team.
Enter Darryn Peterson. Peterson is one of the most aesthetically pleasing top prospects in college basketball history, boasting a punchy handle and unique movement pattern that looks like the love child of Bones Hyland and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While he doesn’t necessarily get open as much as you’d like – a red flag in the eyes of draft nerds – it just doesn’t matter. He can make any jump shot, from anywhere, then posterize your favorite player the next possession.
Peterson, however, is not a point guard by any means. Tankathon identifies four weaknesses in his statistical profile; three of them are related to passing (assists, AST/TO ratio, AST/USG ratio, and offensive rebounding).
This is where Johnson can help Peterson. Johnson can lead the offense in a more traditional point guard role, driving and identifying the right play to run. Peterson can just wait until the ball falls into his lap. This frees Johnson from having to create excessive halfcourt offense, while allowing Peterson to play off one of the scariest downhill threats in the league. Win-win, right?
Indeed, it is a win-win, and McCollum has proved it to us. McCollum has fit like a glove into Atlanta’s offense, highlighted by a 38-point performance on Monday night against the Timberwolves. By swapping CJ for DP, the Hawks could reach heights never seen in franchise history.