Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has been diagnosed with a popliteus strain in his left knee and will be re-examined in a week, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday afternoon.
Sources: Portland guard CJ McCollum has a popliteus strain in his left knee. He will be re-examined in a week.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 17, 2019
McCollum sustained the injury during the Blazers' game against the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday. Down 56-54 with less than eight minutes left in the third period, CJ drove to the basket and attempted to score against Jakob Poeltl. The big man blocked his shot and McCollum landed awkwardly after the play, forcing him to exit the game.
Portland lost 108-103.
X-rays came came back negative, but the MRI revealed that he suffered a popliteus strain — an injury that isn't expected to be serious. McCollum will be out at least a week, and during his absence, Evan Turner and Rodney Hood are expected to play extended minutes.
CJ was thankful that the injury isn't as serious as it looked.
Portland guard CJ McCollum to Yahoo Sports after learning he suffered a left knee strain: “God looked out for me. Could’ve been a lot worse.” Will be re-evaluated in a week.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 17, 2019
The Blazers avoided a catastrophic injury to CJ McCollum, who has been very impressive for the team this season. He's averaging 21.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while helping Portland to a 42-17 record so far. The team is fourth in the Western Conference standings.
The Blazers are once again set to make the playoffs and after two consecutive first round exits, the team would like to make some noise this season.
Thankfully, McCollum still has a chance to be part of it.
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