Wizards' New Veteran Ready for Leadership Role

The Wizards could benefit from his reputation as a sharp-shooting combo guard with a big-game pedigree and his ongoing streak of ten consecutive seasons averaging at least 20 points per game, but it's his veteran wisdom that they'll appreciate long-term.

Some of Washington's shiniest prospects will need some guidance, with McCollum offering even more NBA insight than the go-to guard he was traded for in Jordan Poole. Nearly a dozen low-20-somethings will need some guidance in managing their priorities and approaching the game, as accumulating a career like what McCollum's put together would be a win for just about any of them.

He's already touched base with Tre Johnson, whom he referred to as the "kid from Texas," in explaining how the old scorer can advise his potential heir in showing him work-life balance.

"I was like, 'What do you do besides play basketball?'...and he was like, 'I just sleep,' and I was like, 'bro, you gotta find something else. You don't play video games?' and he's like, 'No. All I do is hoop,'" McCollum reported.

"I was like, 'Great, that's important, that's the kind of mentality you have to have, but you need an escape.' This is about to be 82 games, practice every day, you're only off once every six days, we're gonna be in new cities every night, you're gonna need something to do on that off-day."

That nose-to-the-grindstone drive is how Johnson developed into the scorer he is today, the sixth-overall pick in this most recent NBA Draft with some of the highest upside of any of Washington's near-dozen prospects. He's already endeared himself to the fans with that initiative, but the front office, as well as McCollum, can already see how much he'll appreciate a more well-rounded mental infrastructure.

Even Johnson acknowledged that particular void when it was his turn to speak.

"If you don't have an escape, you'll go crazy," McCollum concluded. "Without balance, there's chaos."

McCollum's influence has already spread well beyond the promising rookie. Fellow top pick Alex Sarr already went on record praising the veteran's vocal leadership, while Bub Carrington opened up to the media on his excitement to sponge off of his experienced teammate.

"It's crazy that I'm even on the same team as him," the young guard said. "He's someone that my whole life I've been compared to, and I've actually looked up to."

Carrington explained that his brother went to Lehigh University, McCollum's alma mater.

"I annoy him," he continued on his fellow chatterbox of a teammate. "He's here 'til 3 p.m., I'm here 'til 3 p.m. I'm starting to realize he likes to talk, too, though."

McCollum's vocal tendencies will go appreciated at his new stop, for the youth having plenty to soak up relating to his travels and lessons learned. He may look older than some fans remember from the last time they watched the scorer, but that's just what the Wizards value out of him.