Pelicans' CJ McCollum Diagnosed With Collapsed Lung; No Timeline for Return

New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum is going to miss time after being diagnosed with a collapsed lung.

Per an official statement from the team, medical imaging taken on Sunday morning found a small pneumothorax in McCollum's right lung.

McCollum will undergo additional testing in the next 48 hours to determine next steps in the healing process.

McCollum did seem to be in good spirits after the diagnosis, responding to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the situation that used an image of him with his hand over his heart by using the crying laughing emoji.

This is the second time in two years McCollum has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung. It previously occurred in December 2021 when he was still playing for the Portland Trail Blazers stemming from an incident in the fourth quarter of a game against the Boston Celtics.

McCollum wound up missing 18 games over six weeks before returning to the Blazers lineup on Jan. 17, 2022.

It's unclear when exactly this injury occurred for McCollum. He played 33 minutes in the Pelicans' 123-105 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

The Pelicans' backcourt came into the season shorthanded with Jose Alvarado dealing with a sprained ankle. Not having McCollum for the time being will likely mean Dyson Daniels moves into the starting lineup and Kira Lewis Jr. getting more playing time.

McCollum started each of the first six games for the Pelicans. He leads the team in minutes (34.3), assists (5.7) and ranks second in scoring average (21.7) and three-point percentage (38.0) per game.

New Orleans has won four of its first six games. It will begin a three-game road trip on Monday night at Ball Arena against the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets.