C.J. McCollum Is Officially Back From His Fractured Foot
The Trail Blazers, finally, are at least one step closer to reaching full-strength. C.J. McCollum wasn't listed on Portland's Monday injury report, clearing the way for him to return to action on Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The team released a video confirming the news shortly after the injury report was made available to media.
McCollum told The Athletic's Jason Quick on Sunday that he would likely return this week. Alluding to his long history of left foot injuries, the 29-year-old stressed that he would only be available to play once he's reached a completely clean bill of health and feels comfortable playing full-contact 5-on-5.
That time has come, clearly, and not a moment too soon for the Blazers.
McCollum has been sidelined since January 16, when he suffered a small fracture in his left foot against the Atlanta Hawks. Portland announced on March 5 that he'd been cleared for contact in practice, sparking hopes that he'd return immediately after the All-Star break.
The Blazers certainly could have used McCollum while splitting their weekend back-to-back with the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. But it's still a boon he's available for their upcoming two-game set with New Orleans, helping Portland finish out the easiest stretch of one of the league's most difficult second-half schedules.
The Blazers have gone 14-11 in without McCollum, keeping pace in a stacked field of Western Conference playoff hopefuls despite the simultaneous absence of Jusuf Nurkic. Yahoo! Sports' Chris Haynes reported on Monday that Nurkic is likely to be sidelined for another two weeks.
The Blazers, 22-16, are currently sixth in the West, only two games ahead of the tenth-place Memphis Grizzlies in the loss column.