New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum has been diagnosed with a small pneumothorax — essentially a collapsed lung — in his right lung, the team said Sunday.
The Pelicans also say that more examinations will be performed over the course of the next two days to determine a recovery timeline.
McCollum, who turned 32 in September, had this same injury in December 2021 and returned about six weeks later.
The Pelicans are also dealing with other significant injuries on an already short-handed roster.
The team is without forward Naji Marshall, who is sidelined with a knee injury, Trey Murphy, who is out with a torn meniscus, and Jose Alvarado, who will be reevaluated soon after nursing a right ankle sprain, which also kept him out of this summer’s FIBA World Cup.
In spite of their injury troubles, the Pelicans have mounted a strong 4-2 start to their season, with McCollum being a main component.
McCollum has averaged 21.7 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest through the season’s first six outings.
The 11-year NBA veteran is also shooting 44 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range while hoisting a team-high 8.3 attempts per game from deep.
The veteran guard and former Most Improved Player is the second leading scorer on the team just behind oft-injured All-Star Zion Williamson, who has already missed one game this season.
Williamson’s averaging 22.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest while shooting about 52 percent from the floor.
The Pelicans will return to action on Monday night, visiting the defending NBA Champion and 6-1 Denver Nuggets, the first of a three-game road trip.
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