Pelicans’ CJ McCollum suffers collapse in right lung

The New Orleans Pelicans announced that guard CJ McCollum suffered a small pneumothorax in his right lung after imaging was performed Sunday morning.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a pneumothorax “occurs when air leaks into the space between your lung and the chest wall. This air pushes out of your lung and causes it to collapse. A pneumothorax can be a complete lung collapse or a collapse of only part of the lung.

This is the second time in McCollum’s career that he has dealt with a pneumothorax. He had one in Portland in December 2021. Meanwhile, the team said he made a full recovery 2 1/2 weeks after the initial diagnosis, but he did not return to play for another three weeks afterward. that.

In total, McCollum missed 18 games that season. He returned on January 17, 2022 and was traded to the Pelicans three weeks later.

The Pelicans said McCollum will undergo an additional exam in the next 48 hours to determine the healing process and a further update will be announced.

In six games this season, McCollum is averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals for the Pelicans, who are off to a 4-2 start.

New Orleans has already faced its share of absences at the start of the season. The team is yet to play with Trey Murphy (left meniscus), Jose Alvarado (sprained right ankle) and Naji Marshall (contusion right knee).

Brandon Ingram also missed three games with tendinitis in his right knee, but returned Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks.