The Portland Trail Blazers continue a six-game road trip on Saturday with a matchup against the Washington Wizards. C.J. McCollum has been out since December 6th with a collapsed right lung, but has recently been ramping up for a return to the lineup. Will Portland's star shooting guard be back on the floor in the nation's capital?
Is C.J. McCollum playing vs. Wizards
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 🙏 pic.twitter.com/LJSKxWMujY
— 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.
“He’s doing great,” Billups said of McCollum. “He’s probably not getting a lot of rest right now. But we’re expecting CJ to join us on the trip either next game or the game after. We’re just not sure yet.”
A day later, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that McCollum will make his long-awaited return on Monday against the Orlando Magic.
Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum is expected to return to lineup on Monday vs. the Magic in Orlando, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. McCollum fully recovered from a collapsed lung that he suffered on Dec. 4 against Boston.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 14, 2022
Is McCollum playing against the Wizards? No, but Blazers fans won't have to wait much longer to see him back on the floor.
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