Portland Trail Blazers: CJ McCollum Injury Prone or Freak Injuries
Is the band breaking up?
This very well may be the beginning of the end for McCollum. He’s already had a second significant foot injury, and now McCollum sustained a freak lung injury. It’s entirely possible that there are more injuries to come.
2021-22 will mark the second consecutive season where CJ plays less than 70 regular-season games. Until last year, he had five straight seasons of surpassing that number and was considered a durable player. It’s not the bumps and nicks sustained during a given year; it’s the injuries that cause the player to miss several games.
So, is his body starting to break down on him? Everyone’s body is different, breaking down at different times and rates. How many times have we seen athletes be healthy most of their careers? Then they get one big injury, and the nagging injuries pile up in the following years.
Turn left or right
Here’s the “fork in the road” in this situation. On the one hand, if McCollum’s body is breaking down and he can’t be counted on to play about 70 games, then the Portland Trail Blazers have decisions to make. They need to either A) trade him away and for a good return or B) move him to the bench to better limit the wear and tear on his body. Subsequently, the latter scenario leads to a conclave of different lineup scenarios.
For example, it looks like Anfernee Simons is coming into his own. Is he still the backup point guard, or does that now go to McCollum? And does the other one move into the backup shooting guard role? Can Simons be a reliable backcourt partner to Dame?
On the other hand, McCollum suffered two freak injuries, and this article is just a waste of time. I’ll let you decide, but for me, I’m leaning a little more to the side of McCollum becoming injury-prone.
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