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The New Orleans Pelicans headed into the 2023-24 NBA regular season with high hopes of getting back on track as one of the most promising young teams in the league, led by rising stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Fortunately for the Pelicans, the team has gotten off to a good start, with the team sporting a 4-2 record, with Williamson and Ingram playing at a high level, and things seemingly clicking in New Orleans.
Unfortunately, the team got bad news on Sunday ahead of their showdown with the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Monday in the Mile High City.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, veteran guard C.J. McCollum has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung, with an uncertain status moving forward in terms of when he might be able to return to the basketball floor.
Pelicans say CJ McCollum has been diagnosed with a small collapsed right lung. He will undergo additional examination in the next 48 hours to determine the progress of healing.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 5, 2023
McCollum has played well during the 2023-24 campaign thus far, averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 44% from the floor and 38% from beyond the arc.
With McCollum putting up some solid numbers for the Pelicans in the team’s first six games, losing the veteran guard could prove costly for New Orleans, especially with the team rolling at the moment despite the recent loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Fortunately for New Orleans, the team is deep enough to be able to endure the loss of McCollum and continue playing winning basketball moving forward.
The team will immediately be put to the test on Monday, going up against the Nuggets on the road, as it will be seen how this team deals with the loss of McCollum.
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