The New Orleans Pelicans' season is over after a loss in the Play-In game to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They fought off a 10-point deficit to take the lead late in the fourth quarter but ultimately lost after a controversial no-call on a shot from Brandon Ingram. New Orleans is now in offseason mode and one of the first orders of business is to check in on CJ McCollum.
McCollum admitted that he is dealing with injuries to his shoulder and thumb, according to Brett Martel of the Associated Press. The Pelicans star said that he needed to get surgery on his thumb months ago but kept it under wraps to help the team. His shoulder injury occurred more recently and will be examined soon.
“I delayed it to try and help our team get to the playoffs and we came up short,” CJ McCollum said after the Pelicans' loss, via AP. “I was doing what I could to try and help out the team.”
That kind of competitive desire is what made the Pelicans want to trade for McCollum last season — as well as his superb scoring skills. The veteran guard averaged 20.9 points, 5.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from deep. He has helped the franchise become a winning one again even as Zion Williamson battles injuries of his own.
While the Thunder face the Minnesota Timberwolves with the Western Conference's eighth seed on the line, the Pelicans will start their offseason and hope to get Williamson's health back on track as well as McCollum's.
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