Aaron Gordon nearing return from concussion protocols, Terrence Ross may not make it back
Aaron Gordon appears set to return from the concussion protocols soon, possibly as early as Tuesday. But Terrence Ross may not return this season.
The Orlando Magic are expecting to get Aaron Gordon back from the concussion protocols soon.
He participated in full-court practice in San Antonio and could be cleared to play before Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Gordon suffered concussion symptoms following Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He told Robbins a few days later that he felt the symptoms he was feeling was a migraine. But with his history of concussions, the team had to put him in the concussion protocols.
He has clearly moved quickly through them. Full-contact practice is the last step of the protocol. If he presents no symptoms, he would be cleared to play. Possibly as early as Tuesday.
Gordon is averaging 18.3 points per game, leading the team in scoring. It has been a breakout season for Gordon in that sense as he has finally found his place on the floor and a role that fits him. It seems he could easily grow from there.
The Magic certainly want to see Gordon play again. Jonathan Isaac just returned from injury. The two core players have played a grand total of 14 minutes together since the All-Star Break. That lineup specifically is one the team will want to experiment with more.
The Magic have been hurting in a lot of ways since Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier went down. The Orlando Magic struggled to score in their game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, but they found their footing against the LA Clippers. Save for a six-minute stretch to start the fourth quarter.
Having Gordon’s scoring ability would certainly help. And it is good to see that the concussion symptoms were indeed not serious. With how quickly Gordon is returning from this concussion, it seems like he might have been right that it was a migraine headache. The quick return is certainly welcome.
In other injury news, it appears Terrence Ross may not make his way back.
He told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel he is hopeful he can return, but not sure he will before the end of the season. He suffered a bone bruise which was a setback from his recovery from a sprained MCL and fracture of his tibial plateau from back in November.
"“Hopefully. I hope so,” Ross told the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s all about how I feel. It’s a little tough. Some days it feels good, and then some days it kind of flares up. So I’m just in that stage where I’m just trying to keep it all healthy. With a bruise, it just takes time, and sometimes it gets a little sore. You don’t want it to get any worse, so sometimes I’ve just got to stay off of it.”"
Ross is doing individual work again, scaling back from playing three on three as he was shortly after the All-Star Break, coach Frank Vogel told the Orlando Sentinel and media in San Antonio.
It would be nice to see Ross back on the court just to have him back out there. Ross has proven himself a solid team defender and capable of hitting shots, although he struggled throughout this season. He was playing well everywhere but his shooting when he asked to be taken out of the starting lineup to help the team.
He got hurt the following game.
If anything, it would be good to get Ross on the floor just to help him gain the confidence he can play in a game beforehand. Unfortunately, he can only go as fast as his body can go.
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There is still no timetable for Evan Fournier‘s return from a sprained MCL. It is possible Fournier will return before the end of the season. He said he is hopeful he will be able to. But it is also possible — and with the Magic now officially eliminated from the Playoffs perhaps likely — his season is done.