Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevicwas forced to exit their Wednesday night loss to the Toronto Raptors with an ankle injury and now, it looks like the big man could be sidelined for multiple weeks. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Vucevus will miss at least the next four weeks as he works his way back from the injury.
Orlando Magic All-Star center Nikola Vucevic will miss a minimum of four weeks with right ankle injury, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 21, 2019
Always one of the league’s most underrated players, Nikola Vucevic is a huge part of Orlando’s scheme and is their unquestioned leader on the offensive end. In 14 outings so far this season, Vucevic has averaged a double-double with 17.1 points per game and 11.6 rebounds.
What makes Vucevic supremely dangerous is his ability to score from the inside or from the perimeter on offense. Couple his polished offensive game with his tenacious rebounding and Vucevic is one of the Eastern Conference’s best centers.
Though the Magic haven’t gotten off to the fastest start, their 6-8 record is still good enough for the eighth seed early in the season. The Eastern Conference is extremely shallow so there’s no doubt Orlando will have a chance to be in prime contention for a final playoff spot later this season.
While they will certainly need Vucevic down the road to realize their full potential, this could prove to be a blessing in disguise for a young, developing Orlando team. With Vucevic sidelined, exciting second-year prospect Mo Bamba should see plenty more opportunity while forward Jonathan Isaac could continue to be more involved as well.
