Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum caught a tough break, with further examination of his foot injury revealing a fracture that will keep him out for at least a month.
But McCollum does not want fans to pity him. He said Tuesday there are plenty of people who have fallen on harder times lately:
“I don't want people to feel bad for me,” McCollum said, via Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report. “There's a lot of people going through a lot worse than me. I'll be OK.”
This is a perfectly sensible message considering world is still in the midst of a pandemic that has caused over 400,00 deaths in the Unites States.
Purely from a basketball perspective, however, it is hard not to feel for CJ McCollum.




The 29-year-old was having arguably the greatest season of his career through the first 13 games before the injury. McCollum is currently averaging career-high marks in scoring (26.7 PPG) and assists (5.0) while also shooting over 44 percent from beyond the arc on a massive 11.0 attempts per game. He has a whopping 7.7 Offensive Box Plus/Minus, and his 26.1 player efficiency rating is by far the highest of his career.
McCollum's injury is detrimental enough for Portland considering the Blazers are losing one of the better pure scorers in the game. But it is equally frustrating because of the other injuries on the roster.
Portland was already down Zach Collins to start the season, and then Jusuf Nurkic suffered a fractured wrist last week. McCollum's absence essentially means the Blazers are now down three of their usual starters, putting a heavier burden on Damian Lillard to shoulder the load.
The Blazers will miss CJ McCollum on the floor. Nevertheless, the former Lehigh star is keeping things in perspective.