NBA News: Pelicans CJ McCollum 'Close' To Returning

CJ McCollum continues to recover from a lung injury that's kept him out for over two weeks.

New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum was a full participant in practice for the first time since injuring his lung, presumably against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 4. McCollum has missed the last eight games for New Orleans, but his exact timetable for return has not been announced.

His initial injury was diagnosed as a small pneumothorax in his right lung, which some commonly described as a collapsed lung. This is the second time in McCollum's career dealing with this lung injury. The first time in 2021, he missed 18 games as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. 

McCollum told reporters after practice on Tuesday that he's close to a return to the court. "I feel good. I'm in a really good spot. I continue to increase my conditioning and add contact (in practice)................ I'm looking forward to getting back out there. Not quite yet, I'm waiting on clearance from the doctor, but I should be getting cleared here pretty soon."

The Pelicans have gone 3-5 in the games McCollum has missed, but have been playing solid basketball lately. Dyson Daniels has started in seven of the eight games in McCollum's place. In those contests, Daniels averages 8.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. On the defensive end, Dyson is averaging 1.4 steals a contest, and along with Herb Jones, has made it difficult for the opponent perimeter players to get in a rhythm offensively.

Adding CJ back in the lineup gives the Pelicans another dynamic playmaker on the team. Despite missing eight straight games, McCollum is still third on the team in points per game (21.7) and first in assists (5.7). New Orleans is looking to get healthy to finally see how all the puzzle pieces fit together. 

"As we get more healthy you see the product improve, the ball movement, guys get more comfortable with each and that's what you need," McCollum told reporters. "It's unfortunate we had so many injuries, but the bright side is that it gave a lot of players the opportunity to showcase their game....and that's going to be very helpful for us as we progress through the long season."