Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum's collapsed lung fully healed, cleared for non-contact drills
Less than a month after he suffered a collapsed right lung, Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum is nearly ready to return to the court.
McCollum, the team announced on Thursday afternoon, has been cleared for non-contact drills, increased conditioning and shooting after a CT scan earlier this week revealed that his right lung is fully healed.
A timeline for his return has not been announced, though McCollum will be evaluated again next week.
CJ McCollum suffered collapsed lung vs. Celtics
The Trail Blazers announced on Dec. 7 that McCollum had suffered a pneumothorax of his right lung.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a pneumothorax is a collapsed lung that occurs “when air leaks into the space between your lung and chest wall.” That can lead to either a partial or full collapse of the lung, and is caused by “a blunt or penetrating chest injury.”
McCollum suffered the injury against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 4, and a CT scan revealed the collapsed lung soon after. He hasn’t played since.
McCollum has averaged 20.6 points and 4.5 assists per game so far this season, his ninth in the league. The 30-year-old is in the first year of a three-year, $100 million deal with the Trail Blazers.
