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Nikola Vucevic will need surgery for broken hand, out 6-8 weeks

By Philip Rossman-Reich

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 23: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic handles the ball against Marcin Gortat #13 of the Washington Wizards on December 23, 2017 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 23: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic handles the ball against Marcin Gortat #13 of the Washington Wizards on December 23, 2017 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The hits keep coming for the Orlando Magic as the injured list adds one more. Nikola Vucevic will be out 6-8 weeks with a broken hand suffered Saturday.

The Orlando Magic will be without center Nikola Vucevic after suffering a fracture of his left index finger in Saturday’s 130-103 loss to the Washington Wizards. The  Magic announced he will require surgery and reports from Shams Chanaria of Yahoo! and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN say he will miss 6-8 weeks.

The Magic said he will be out indefinitely. In any case, Vucevic is going to miss a lot of time. and that is a major blow for Orlando.

The team was already without several key players. Terrence Ross has been out since Nov. 29 with a sprained MCL and a fracture in his tibial plateau. Jonathan Isaac has been in and out of the lineup with a sprained ankle since Nov. 11. Aaron Gordon missed time with a concussion and then suffered a calf strain in his first game back. And Evan Fournier has missed time with a sprained ankle since Dec. 6.

The Magic have been down a lot of key rotation players, having to cobble together makeshift lineups. And the team’s play has suffered. Since Jonathan Isaac’s injury in November, the Magic have lost 19 of their last 22 games. The injuries are not entirely to blame, but they have certainly played a huge factor.

Vucevic has been a stalwart in that time. His scoring has rebounded well after last year’s down season, averaging 17.8 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game while posting a 54.0 percent effective field goal percentage.

Since Evan Fournier’s injury, Nikola Vucevic has handled a larger load and done so well. Vucevic posted 22.1 points per game and 12.6 rebounds per game in those seven games. They were all still losses for the Magic.

Vucevic was a key producer for the team and the only regular rotation player with a positive net rating when he was on the court. At least before Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. his -0.2 net rating while on the floor still leads the team.

Orlando will face a profound effect with him out. But no one will make any excuses. And, as several players said after te game, no one will feel sorry for them.

If the timeline is correct, the team would not expect him back until Feb. 3 at the earliest. The NBA’s trade deadline is Feb. 6.

The only silver lining for the Magic right now is that it appears Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon, the team’s top two scorers, are close to a return from their injuries.

General manager John Hammond told Magic Drive Time on Thursday the team is hopeful to have Fournier back for Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat and Gordon would not be too far behind him. It would appear both could be back this week.

Next: Grades: Washington Wizards 130, Orlando Magic 103

That might help stop the bleeding in the short term. But the hits keep coming for the Magic.