In the midst of a rough stretch in which the team has lost six of its last seven games, the Trail Blazers will have a tougher road ahead with the loss of another star player.
Guard CJ McCollum was diagnosed with a collapsed right lung—formally known as pneumothorax—the team announced Tuesday night. McCollum suffered the injury during Saturday's 145–117 loss to the Celtics.
McCollum played just 47 games a year ago after suffering a fractured foot in January.
The 30-year-old shooting guard has averaged 20.6 points and 4.5 assists on 39.3% shooting on three-point attempts through 24 games this season. Portland is already without point guard Damian Lillard, who hasn't played since Nov. 29 while dealing with a lower abdominal injury.
Through Tuesday's games, the Blazers were 11–14 and in 10th place in the Western Conference. Portland went 35–39 last season, one year after reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
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