Trail Blazers Guard CJ McCollum Sidelined with Lung Injury

The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that guard CJ McCollum suffered a lung injury in the fourth quarter of Portland’s game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, December 4th. McCollum did not play as the Trail Blazers lost to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday the 6th. The team did not give a prognosis for his recovery or return.

The injury is being termed a “pneumothorax” in McCollum’s right lung. The more common name for the condition is a collapsed lung. When a pneumothorax injury occurs, air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall, pushing on the outside of the lung instead of inflating the inside, causing the lung to collapse. This can be caused by chest trauma or disease. Presumably it’s the former in McCollum’s case.

The official announcement includes this statement:

[McCollum] will be further evaluated before a prognosis is determined and his status will be updated accordingly.

Listed times for recovery from a collapsed lung vary, but they range between two weeks and two months.

McCollum has averaged 20.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 35.3 minutes per game over 24 appearances for the Blazers so far this season.