During the first month of the NBA season, CJ McCollum was well on his way to a career year for the Portland Trail Blazers. But this week, his season ran into a major setback with the news that he sustained a fractured foot. Today, The Athletic’s Jason Quick on how three conversations had the 29-year-old playing the best basketball of his life before the injury, and where McCollum and the Blazers go from here.

Follow Jason Quick’s coverage of the Blazers: https://theathletic.com/author/jason-quick/?source=theleadpodcast

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.