C.J. McCollum Stresses His Return Will Come 'Sooner Than Later'

The Trail Blazers star guard provided The Athletic's Jason Quick with an update on his prospective return from injury.

C.J. McCollum still has no concrete timeline for his return to the floor. As he ramps up participation in practice and individual conditioning work, though, the veteran guard at least has an idea of when he'll be back on the court for the Blazers.

"If I was a betting man, I would bet on next week, but I can’t bet on sports," McCollum told The Athletic's Jason Quick. 

McCollum has been sidelined since January 16, when he suffered a small fracture in his left foot. The 29-year-old has a long history of foot issues, dating back to his senior year at Lehigh University. He was sidelined for a portion of his rookie season with Portland while recovering from a broken foot that caused him to miss the NCAA tournament during his senior year in college.

"I’m coming off my third fracture. I have to be smart and patient," McCollum said. 

The Blazers announced on March 5 that McCollum had been cleared for contact practice, an especially important step in his recovery. While McCollum continues to improve his conditioning, he stressed that the real test of his health and readiness comes from playing 5-on-5 with no restrictions.

"I needed to see how my foot would respond to contact,” McCollum said “People assume you get cleared and just go back to playing, not realizing I couldn’t run for seven weeks. Conditioning comes from playing. I can’t just run on the treadmill or bike and simulate the force you put through your foot and body."

Portland has gone 14-11 without McCollum, keeping pace in a stacked field of Western Conference playoff hopefuls despite the simultaneous absence of Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers, 22-16 overall, currently sit at sixth place in the West.

[Jason Quick, The Athletic]

READ MORE: Timberwolves Beat Trail Blazers Behind Anthony Edwards' Career Night