Portland Trail Blazers: How worrisome is CJ McCollum’s back injury?

The Portland Trail Blazers are out for blood in the NBA’s restart, but could CJ McCollum’s back injury derail their hopes?

Fighting for the 8-seed in the jam-packed Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers have been among the hottest teams in the NBA’s restart. Although Damian Lillard has kept them afloat with some herculean performances, his running mate, CJ McCollum, revealed that he is battling through a back injury that has hindered his recent play.

Dwight Jaynes of NBC Sports Northwest broke the news, detailing McCollum’s looming issue.

"“Sources told NBC Sports Northwest prior to the game that McCollum has been playing with a L3 vertebral transverse process fracture (non-displaced) since last Thursday. In layman’s terms, he has a fracture in his lower back. He has played three games since the injury.”"

The injury explains why McCollum has struggled in his recent play, including an eight-point effort in Tuesday night’s 134-131 win against the Dallas Mavericks. In this past three-game stretch, the guard is averaging 17.7 points per game on 36.0 percent field goal shooting, and 33.2 percent 3-point shooting, far below his typical quota.

In regards to the question, how worrisome this injury is, the answer is very. Any injury revolving around the back is not an issue to be taken lightly. It has clearly altered his play on the court recently, and if it worsens, the team might have to pull him out of the lineup.

For reference, current Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley sustained the same injury several years ago and was slated to miss six weeks on November 28th, 2016 to recover. However, Conley returned to the court far sooner than expected on December 16th, ready to play, without surgery contemplated, which could be a welcoming sign for the Blazers long-term.

In the short term, if McCollum got sidelined with the playoffs nearing, it would be a significant blow for Portland. With a potential first-round matchup against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers seemingly destined to happen, the Portland Trail Blazers might not be able to afford McCollum missing time, even if it is a few weeks.

It is certainly a difficult situation to be in, but it appears that there are no plans to pull CJ out of the lineup just yet, as this team still has to lock up that 8-seed. McCollum’s fellow teammates have applauded the guard for his resilience to play through the injury, most notably, Damian Lillard. Transcribed by Jamie Hudson of NBC Sports Northwest:

"“He’s a little bit banged up. He’s making no excuses or looking for no way out. He’s thuggin’ it out for the team and being out there for us, and fortunate for us, him doing that meant he was out there for those last free throws and came through for us.”"

Carmelo Anthony also chimed in with some praise of his own, commending McCollum’s toughness and willingness to persevere.

"“CJ’s a warrior. We know he’s a little banged up. We know he’s out there also giving everything that he got an he’s in the fight with us. He’s there. We appreciate every little thing that he’s capable of giving us at this moment until he get his situation right. So, we’ve just got to rally with him, help him through it… He’s shown a different type of toughness right now.”"

CJ McCollum knows that the Blazers need him right now, injury or not. If they are hoping to see any legitimate success beyond the eight seeding games, they will need him as healthy as humanly possible.

This predicament could be a looming issue for the Portland Trail Blazers moving forward, but right now, this team is firing on all cylinders as they look to solidify a playoff spot. Damian Lillard has arguably been the ‘bubble’ MVP, averaging 37 points per game, including a combined 112 points in his past two games.

Carmelo Anthony has also stepped up since McCollum’s injury, averaging 22.3 points in his last three games. Second-year guard Gary Trent Jr. has always had a breakout stretch in the restart, averaging 17.0 points per game throughout the teams first seven games. With so many different players on their roster playing top-tier basketball, the Blazers are undoubtedly riding the hot hand with a 5-2 record despite the injury to CJ McCollum.