Blazers’ McCollum on Returning Sunday, ‘I Like my Chances’

The Trail Blazers could receive a boost for Sunday’s matchup against the Pacers in the form of CJ McCollum’s return. McCollum has missed the last three games after suffering a sprained ankle in Dallas on Jan. 17.

On Saturday, McCollum revealed to NBC Sports Northwest’s Jamie Hudson that he is not fully recovered, but is close to a return.

“[It’s] as good as it’s going to be,” McCollum said. “I feel good. I’m moving well. I can cut now. Last game I did some testing and it just wasn’t ready. I wasn’t able to do some of things I wanted to do, chasing, cutting on it. So, I’ll do some more testing on it tomorrow, but if I feel how I feel now, and I’m pain free on most of my movements like I am now, I like my chances.”

McCollum went on to detail the difficult parts of routine injury rehabilitation.

“It’s been a little process. I always say rehab is harder than playing in a game because it’s just so time consuming and tedious work, working on stuff that you don’t normally work on, some of those little muscles and stuff around the body. I’m glad the process is almost over.”

The Blazers have lost two of the three games that McCollum has missed. On the season, the former Lehigh standout is averaging 21.5 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting from the field.

You can read Hudson’s full story at NBC Sports Northwest.