CJ McCollum Returns, Zion Williamson Puts On A Masterpiece

What a day for the New Orleans Pelicans as not only did they beat the Philadelphia 76ers, but both CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson played out of their minds.

For Williamson, he dropped 33 points on 11/12 shooting along with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Talk about perfect performance, from his shooting splits to his actual stats; it was incredible to see out of the former number-one pick.

Now, let us talk about McCollum and what he did in his return to New Orleans. For those that don’t know, the veteran guard was out for the last three weeks due to a collapsed lung. The good news, he is obviously in good health again.

The better news is that McCollum finished up with 20 points and 5 assists in their win against the Sixers. When both are healthy, this one-two-punch duo cannot be stopped.

CJ McCollum Suffers Collapsed Lung

The New Orleans Pelicans will be without one of their top players for the foreseeable future after it’s been revealed that CJ McCollum has suffered a collapsed lung.

Per Andrew Lopez of ESPN, McCollum is set to undergo more testing in the next 48 hours to determine the severity of this injury and how long he’ll be out for.

For reference, this is McCollum’s second time with this type of injury. Back in December of 2021, the 32-year-old was out for three weeks following his prognosis.

It’s unfortunate the amount of time he is going to miss due to this injury if it is the same as the last time. New Orleans will release an update once more testing is completed.

CJ McCollum Will Undergo Surgery In Offseason

CJ McCollum Will Undergo Surgery In Offseason

It has been revealed by CJ McCollum that the right thumb injury he has been playing through this season will require surgery in the offseason. While dealing with this shooting hand injury, he is still averaging 21 points and 6 assists per game.

McCollum will not be undergoing the surgery now as he wants to compete for the postseason with New Orleans; he has said that he will undergo surgery once he knows the fate of the Pelicans and if they can make it to the playoffs.

“I knew the final outcome would probably be surgery, and I was notified that that’s what it’s going to have to be” wrote McCollum in his diary for Andscape. “It’s my shooting hand, so you’re always a little nervous. So, I just been checking in with a hand specialist out of New York and just making sure things are progressing and continue to get images every couple weeks to track the progress as to what type of surgery I may need, what’s the process going to look like and I’m comfortable with what I’ve been hearing so far, so I’ll be all right. But I’m not making any excuses. I’ve been in the league for a long time, and I pride myself on being the best leader I can be on and off the court. We don’t have the luxury of sitting certain games at this stage of the season based on standings. I would like to compete in the playoffs for my 10th straight season or at least give ourselves a chance and address what needs to be addressed after our fate has been determined.”

The Pelicans, after a big victory against the Clippers, are 37-37. They have a tied record with the Timberwolves and Lakers, but what is better is that they moved themselves deeper into the play-in tournament with the 9th seed.

New Orleans is only 1.5 games out of 5th and 2 games out of 4th. Their next game is Monday night against the Trail Blazers in Portland, they only have 8 games left on the season.

The NBA season ends April 9th, play-in begins April 11th.