Entering the season, CJ McCollum seemed like he could be the veteran presence that the Wizards could finally rely on to mentor their young core.
Washington's failed past experiments with players like Kyle Kuzma and Malcolm Brogdon left fans hoping that the guard could leave a different, yet positive lasting impact beyond his stay in Washington.
And while that may still be the case, early signs suggests that McCollum's stint in the DMV may be more short-lived than originally thought.
The former Pelican impressed during his limited minutes with the Wizards during the preseason and when the regular season came, it seemed as if the playmaker could be the scoring spark that could steady the team's young core when the going got tough and potentially allow for the team to exceed expectations this season.
However, through the first six games of his Wizards tenure, McCollum seems to be more of a hinder to the team's play on the court than he does a helping hand.
The guard is averaging 14.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds, while shooting 37.2% from field goal range and 38.5% from beyond the arc.
Although those stats may not seem bad, especially for a 34-year-old in a new situation, his play on the court has been far more underwhelming than hoped for.
In fact, the Lehigh's play on the floor has seemingly limited the product the team has been able to put out, especially offensively.
Taking minutes away from the likes of young players like rookie Tre Johnson, AJ Johnson and even Will Riley, McCollum's underwhelming play doesn't justify the minutes taken away from the prospects leading the youth movement in Washington.
Obviously, McCollum wasn't traded for in hopes of turning the Wizards into a playoff-bound team this season.
Nor was he traded for to translate the team into a winning squad.
Instead, he was traded for to be the mentor that could benefit the young squad both on and off the court and serve as an outlet for the team's players underneath him.
However, considering that the players underneath him could pose an argument that they're outplaying McCollum could make the team's front office reconsider their plan to keep McCollum in Washington until the season came to end.
On an expiring contract, the Wizards may begin their search to offload the guard sooner rather than later, especially if the team's young players continue to outshine the savvy vet.