Basketball can be so cruel.
Portland TrailBlazers guard CJ McCollum will miss at least four weeks of action with a fracture in his left foot.
Initially, McCollum, who is in the midst of a career year (averaging 26.7PPG), was diagnosed with a left foot sprain, but further scans revealed a hairline fracture. He is in a boot, and will continue to be evaluated, but he is slated to miss a sizeable number of contests.
Worryingly, it is the same foot that McCollum has already broken twice in his career to date.
It is another injury blow for Portland, who also lost big man Jusuf Nurkic to a broken wrist last week. They still remain without the services of forward Zach Collins, and the pressure on Damian Lillard to keep his team treading water in the absence of two of their big three only heightens as a result.