NBA Rumors: Pelicans' CJ McCollum Played Final 7 Games with Torn Labrum Injury

The New Orleans Pelicans' season came to an end Wednesday with their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the play-in tournament, and now guard CJ McCollum can focus on getting healthy.

Will Guillory of The Athletic reported McCollum played with a torn labrum in his shoulder during the team's last seven games. He was also playing with an injured thumb.

The veteran played 41 minutes of Wednesday's 123-118 loss and finished with 14 points and four assists on just 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from deep. It isn't hard to assume the shoulder was bothering him and impacted the shooting totals.

McCollum also averaged 38.7 minutes in the team's final seven regular-season games.

He is under contract with the Pelicans through the 2025-26 season, so there will be plenty of time to bounce back for both the player and team after a disappointing campaign for New Orleans.

After all, the Pelicans were tied atop the Western Conference at 23-12 at one point in the season and looked to be a potential contender after impressing during a playoff series against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns during the 2022 postseason.

A core of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, McCollum and impressive role players made them quite dangerous on paper, and the results were playing themselves out on the court.

Yet injuries became the defining storyline of the season.

Williamson appeared in 29 games, Ingram played 45 and McCollum was playing through multiple ailments by season's end. The second half of the campaign was a slog just to get into the play-in tournament, and that came to a quick end in Wednesday's win-or-go-home game against Oklahoma City.

Ideally for New Orleans, Williamson, Ingram and McCollum will all be healthy in 2023-24 and it can finally deliver on its potential.