Orlando Magic first round pick Chuma Okeke begins pro journey with Lakeland Magic

Orlando Magic first-round pick Chuma Okeke has officially joined the Lakeland Magic. It is still unclear where he stands in his recovery.

The Orlando Magic could use reinforcements right about now.

Without a doubt, the team’s decision to bring back much the same roster with all of its offensive flaws is currently blowing back in its face as the team flounders offensively. A solid draft pick would have gone a long way to saving the team some money.

That is all the background that Chuma Okeke will step into when he joins the team next year. The Magic opted to punt on a draft pick this year, taking the still-injured Chuma Okeke with the 16th overall pick and opting not to sign him to his rookie deal this year.

The Magic saved a bit of money to stay under the luxury tax line and sign Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross to the contracts they got. Orlando will move forward without their rookie.

But that does not mean there are still not high hopes for Okeke. And he is well on his way to recovery and joining the team next season.

He has still been hanging around the Amway Center. After practices during training camp and the season, it was easy to spot Okeke working out in the training room as he rehabbed from his torn ACL if you knew where to look.

He does not have any contact with the Magic’s coaching staff or anything like that, his sole focus is getting healthy. And his return to the court will take place in the G-League.

There is still no timetable for his return. But Okeke took at least the first step of his professional career Monday. The Lakeland Magic held their media day before they start playing games later this week. And Okeke donned at least a Lakeland Magic jersey for the first time:

This will be the next phase of Okeke’s recovery. He will continue to rehab on his own with the Lakeland Magic — a sort of an offshoot of the Orlando Magic’s training staff in some way — and return to the court when he is healthy.

Okeke is not with the Magic largely for financial reasons — the Magic’s financial reasons, not Okeke’s. But Okeke likely got picked well ahead where he would otherwise.

But Orlando’s decision to redshirt him and defer his rookie year was done in part to give him the time to recover fully from his injury. They know he can be a strong player for them moving forward.

In his final year with the Auburn Tigers, he averaged 12.0 points per game and shot 38.7 percent from beyond the arc with a 57.7 percent effective field goal percentage. He added 6.8 rebounds per game on top of it.

Okeke was a strong defender and solid and still-improving shooter. He played his best during the NCAA Tournament right when the injury occurred.

The Magic surprisingly picked him at No. 16. But if not for the injury, the 6-foot-8 forward likely would have gone in that range, if not in the Lottery. The injury took away the opportunity for him to improve his stock and make those gains.

Orlando Magic fans will have to wait to see him in the NBA for a year. But Okeke is set to make his debut in Lakeland at some point this year.

All he has to do now is stick with his recovery.