CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates with Robert Covington #33 after making a three-point basket against the Toronto Raptors during the fourth quarter at Moda Center on November 15, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Abbie Parr/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Abbie Parr / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum was cleared to return to non-contact drills Thursday after a CT scan revealed his collapsed right lung had fully healed.
McCollum can participate in shooting drills and increased conditioning. He will be re-evaluated again in a week, the team said.
The 30-year-old suffered the injury, called a pneumothorax, when he fell awkwardly during the fourth period of a defeat to the Boston Celtics on Dec. 4.
McCollum has spent his entire eight-plus seasons in the NBA with Portland, which made him the 10th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. In 24 games this season, he has averaged 20.6 points, 4.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game.
He holds career averages of 19 points, 3.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.
The Trail Blazers (13-19) recently snapped a seven-game losing streak with a pair of wins before dropping their most recent game, 111-97 to the New Orleans Pelicans, on Tuesday. Their game Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets was postponed due to their opponents’ COVID-19 protocols.