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CJ McCollum broke the fifth metatarsal of his left foot for the second time this year.
(Bruce Ely/The Oregonian)
The Trail Blazers' flurry of injuries turned serious Saturday as rookie
broke his left foot during practice.
McCollum, whom the
of June's draft, fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot. He was running the baseline during a scrimmage when he was bowled over by a teammate. The injury was initially called a sprain, but X-rays revealed the break, the team said.
McCollum will need surgery. According to a team release, his prognosis will be made after the procedure, which has not yet been scheduled.
The injury is identical to the one McCollum suffered in January, during his senior year at Lehigh. In a game against Virginia Commonwealth, McCollum fractured the exact same fifth metatarsal. McCollum later had surgery, ending his senior year. At the time of the injury, his recovery was estimated at eight to 10 weeks.
The injury is the same one that Blazers point guard Damian Lillard suffered early in the 2010-11 season while at Weber State. Two other recent Blazers also suffered breaks of their fifth metatarsal bones, with Martell Webster sustaining the injury during a preseason game in 2008, and Travis Outlaw suffering it early in the 2009-10 season.
Webster had surgery after his break, with screws inserted into the foot, and returned in December. But he suffered a stress fracture in this same spot five minutes into his first game back. He missed the rest of the season.
-- Mike Tokito