The Portland Trail Blazers continue a six-game road trip on Monday with a matchup against the Orlando Magic. C.J. McCollum has been out since December 6th with a collapsed right lung, but began ramping up his conditioning in late December for a return to the lineup. Will Portland's star shooting guard be back on the floor in Orlando?
Is C.J. McCollum playing vs. Magic
McCollum got off to a hot start in 2021-22, picking up slack left by Damian Lillard's career-worst, injury-related struggles. He averaged 23.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists over the first two weeks of the regular season, hitting threes at a 44.2% clip on nearly 10 attempts per game. McCollum cooled off considerably from there, though, shooting just above 40% from the field and averaging 18.7 points per game from early November to early December.
McCollum was initially listed as questionable with a rib contusion for Portland's tilt with the LA Clippers on December 6th. He was then downgraded to out on the final injury report, and the Blazers announced a day later that McCollum would be sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a right lung pneumothorax.
Come back stronger, CJ McCollum š pic.twitter.com/LJSKxWMujY
ā Blazers Nation (@BlazersNationCP) December 8, 2021
On December 23rd, Portland announced McCollum's lung was fully healed and that he'd been cleared for non-contact drills. Though the team indicated another update on McCollum's status would come the following week, it has yet to announce any further details regarding his prospective return to the floor.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday that McCollum and his wife, Elise, were soon expecting their first child, and that he'd be back in the lineup after the birth. Chauncey Billups confirmed before Portland's loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday that McCollum's son had been born, and that he would soon meet his team on the road.
āHeās doing great,ā Billups said of McCollum. āHeās probably not getting a lot of rest right now. But weāre expecting CJ to join us on the trip either next game or the game after. Weāre just not sure yet.ā
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A day later, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that McCollum will make his long-awaited return against the Magic. The 30-year-old is not on Portland's final injury report for the game, and Billups clarified following Portland's win over the Washington Wizards that he'd be in the starting lineup at Amway Center.
Is McCollum playing against the Magic? After nearly six weeks since he last took the floor, McCollum is indeed returning on Monday.
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