Portland Trail Blazers' CJ McCollum Out 'Indefinitely' After Being Diagnosed With Collapsed Lung

Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum will be out of the team "indefinitely" after he was diagnosed with a collapsed right lung or pneumothorax.

The Portland Trail Blazers announced McCollum's condition on Tuesday after the veteran guard underwent a CT scan, USA Today reported.

In a statement, the team said McCollum would be further evaluated "before a prognosis is determined, and his status will be updated accordingly."

CJ McCollum Sustained Injury During a Game Against Boston Celtics

According to UPI, CJ McCollum sustained the injury during the fourth quarter of Portland's game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

CBS Sports reported that the incident resulted in McCollum's rib contusion, but initial X-rays returned negative for any fractures or cracks to his ribcage.

Because of his collapsed lung, the 30-year-old NBA star was not included in the Portland Trail Blazers game line-up against Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, where the Blazers lost to Clippers, 102-90.

Reports said McCollum also did not travel with his team to San Francisco for their Wednesday's match against the Golden State Warriors.

McCollum has begun all 24 games he has appeared in this NBA season. ESPN reported that the Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard averaged 20.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists this season.

Aside from CJ McCollum, Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons also missed Monday's game against the Clippers. Damian Lillard missed the game due to lower abdominal tendinopathy, while Simons has a right ankle sprain.

What is Pneumothorax?

According to experts, a pneumothorax occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall.

Under this condition, the air pushes on the outside of your lung and makes it collapse.

"A pneumothorax can be a complete lung collapse or a collapse of only a portion of the lung," the Mayo Clinic noted.

A pneumothorax can reportedly be caused by a blunt or penetrating chest injury. It can also be caused by some medical procedures or damage from underlying lung disease or may "occur for no obvious reason."

According to athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, a pneumothorax is more common among NFL players, and the recovery rate is linked to the injury's size. Stotts noted that if the injury is large, a chest tube may be necessary to remove the air.

While a pneumothorax was less common among NBA players, the trainer noted that there were already several NBA players who experienced it, such as Terrence Jones, who suffered rib and lung injuries during the 2014-15 season.

Stotts also cited Gerald Wallace, who fractured his fifth rib, resulting in a collapsed lung during the 2008-09 season. The trainer noted that Wallace was sidelined for seven games while Jones was back in the six games.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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