Orlando Magic Injury Update: Orlando Magic to re-evaluate Nikola Vucevic in 7-10 days

The Orlando Magic will be without All-Star center Nikola Vucevic for at least four weeks after he sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s loss.

Everyone associated with the Orlando Magic held their collective breaths as Nikola Vucevic writhed on the ground in pain, holding his right ankle.

After going up for a block, Nikola Vucevic landed awkwardly and went to the ground. He needed teammates to help him gingerly walk back to the locker room. An X-ray was negative for any fractures and he was scheduled for a MRI on Thursday. He left Scotiabank Arena in a walking boot and on crutches.

The Magic knew then they would be without Vucevic for at least some time. Vucevic said the pain was pretty much instantaneous. The question was how long he would miss.

There is still no official word from the team. But Shams Charania reports Vucevic will miss a minimum of four weeks with the right ankle injury. Beyond that, nobody knows when he might return to the court.

UPDATE: The team released a statement Thursday afternoon with results from MRIs to both Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon on Thursday.

Vucevic was diagnosed with a lateral right ankle sprain. He will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days. Aaron Gordon was diagnosed with a right ankle contusion and his return to action will be determined based on how he responds to treatment.

They are both out until further notice.

Typically with ankle injuries, the prognosis is rest. There is not much a player can do until the pain and swelling go away. And rest is the best way to let the injury heal.

So typically these injury timetables are phrased as “he will be re-evaluated in four weeks.” That appears to be what the case is here.

Essentially the timetable for Vucevic will now have the team evaluating him when the Magic return from this current road trip. The Orlando Magic will play a pair of home games next week against the Toronto Raptors (Nov. 29) and Golden State Warriors (Dec. 1).

That examination might put set the course for Vucevic’s ultimate recovery. So that is certainly not a return date.

From Charania’s originally reported timeline, the soonest the Magic would see Vucevic in uniform is Dec. 23 against the Chicago Bulls — a span of 15 games. And that might be a bit optimistic.

The injury could not have come at a worse time for the Magic.

Vucevic had finally rediscovered his offensive rhythm after suffering a minor injury during training camp and perhaps some fatigue from playing int he FIBA World Cup for Montenegro. He won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week last week after averaging 21.7 points per game, 14.0 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game in a 3-0 week to close out a five-game homestand.

The Magic seemed back on track at 6-7. Even during Wednesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors with Vucevic struggling to shoot, the ball was moving and flowing through the big man. He had five assists in his 10 minutes. The team had a 116.7 offensive rating with Vucevic on the floor.

That is a lot of offense to lose. And that has been the case this season too.

Vucevic, after a rough start, had his averages up to 17.1 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game with 3.5 assists per game at the center position.

His impact on the floor is also undeniable. He helps make the team work. The Magic have a 109.1 offensive rating with Vucevic on the floor (second among rotation players) and a +5.6 net rating with Vucevic on the floor overall (again, second among rotation players).

With Vucevic off the court, the team has a team-low 90.2 offensive rating and -11.8 net rating. The Magic play better with Vucevic on the floor.

Being without him for at least these four weeks — which will include that tough West Coast trip in mid-December — will be difficult. Among the teams the Orlando Magic play in this stretch are the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets.

Orlando will have to find a way to hang on, scratch out some wins and keep contact with the last playoff spot for when Vucevic comes back.

This will be Vucevic’s first extended absence from the lineup since the 2018 season. He broke his hand in December of that season and missed 23 games. Orlando went 7-16 in those games, but lost eight of the team’s first nine games without him. That essentially ended any talk of the playoffs.

This team is obviously a different team. That season the Magic faced a lot of injuries at the same time that depleted the roster significantly. It is not the best comparison, but the Magic have always struggled when Vucevic has to miss significant time.

Now, Vucevic feels more important than ever as a fulcrum of the offense. Orlando will have to find a new way to score. And while Khem Birch should provide solid defensive backing, the Magic will miss Vucevic’s consistency on that end too.

As coach Steve Clifford likes to say, he does not worry about who he does not have. He gets the list of players he has available and coaches them. The season does not stop for the injury — and there is not yet word on how long Aaron Gordon will be out.

So the Magic will have to push forward. The hope is Vucevic will respond to treatment and recover fast and the team will not be too far out of things by that time.

This article has been updated with the team’s official statement on Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic’s recovery.