Jerry Lai – USA TODAY sports
It didn’t take long for the Portland Trail Blazers to second guess themselves for drafting C.J. McCollum with the 10th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
On Saturday, an X-Ray confirmed that the 6-foot-4 rookie guard sustained a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot. Long story short; this injury will require surgery, which could put the Blazers’ first-round selection out of action for upwards of three months. However, a return date has not yet surfaced, so maybe McCollum’s diagnosis will improve once the surgery actually takes place.
Even still, this is not the news that reigning Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard wants to hear considering McCollum was supposed to be a key cog for this young Blazers team moving forward. While McCollum should return without issues in due time; it’s never easy for a rookie to transition to the NBA game and this injury only makes things more difficult.
Related: Portland Trail Blazers: Predicting The Final 15-Man Roster
Portland usually gets a ton of preseason love as a dark-horse candidate to make some noise in the NBA’s postseason, but without McCollum the Trail Blazers might be looking at a below-average season once again. With that being said, look for the off-season acquisition of NBA veteran Mo Williams to loom large for an already depleted Blazers backcourt.
Devin O’Barr is the Content Commentator for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DevinOBarrRS, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
