Orlando Magic need players to step up after Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon’s injuries

The Orlando Magic suffered major losses with the dual sprained ankles to Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon. That means several players have to step up.

The Orlando Magic were unexpectedly and suddenly short-handed against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

In the second quarter, the Magic lost both Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic to ankle injuries.

Aaron Gordon left the game after landing awkwardly going up for a block. He played a couple of possessions after the injury, but later went to the locker room and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Perhaps the more serious of the injuries is Nikola Vucevic’s.

With five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Vucevic slid over defensively and attempted to block a lay-up by Norman Powell. But he landed awkwardly on his right foot, rolling his right ankle. All of Vucevic’s body weight fell on his right leg, and he was unable to put any pressure on his right foot afterward. He had to be helped to the locker room.

Both players underwent preliminary X-rays after the game. The good news is both X-rays turned up negative.

Vucevic said after the game he will have a MRI on Thursday and left the arena in a walking boot and crutches. He described the pain pretty clearly when he talked to the media after the game.

Gordon reported his injury was the worst of the many ankle sprains he has suffered this year. Gordon reportedly left the arena only with his ankle heavily wrapped.

At this point, it is unclear how long either player will be out. But it is safe to assume both are likely to miss Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.

It is good to see both in good spirits. But Gordon’s message to the team is an apt one. It is truly next man up now for the Magic. The games do not stop for these two key players to get healthy.

The Magic worked their best offensively with the starting unit in. Orlando scored 32 points in the first quarter. The team posted a 116.7 offensive rating with Vucevic on the floor. The team had just a 96.0 offensive rating with Gordon on the floor, which was the best among the bench players where Gordon plays at least part of his minutes.

The team definitely saw a downturn offensively in the second half — from 102.0 points per 100 possessions in the first half to 93.9 points per 100 possessions in the second. And so the team will be searching for some new answers offensively.

The Magic will be looking for new players to step up.

After the injury, center Khem Birch was substituted into the game and played relatively well.

Coach Steve Clifford elected to start him in the second half over second-year center Mohamed Bamba. Khem Birch had a nice connection with point guard Markelle Fultz who penetrated into the lane and dished out a couple of assists to him in the paint. Birch finished the game with 12 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

On the other hand, second-year center Mohamed Bamba had a tough outing.

He was outplayed by the Raptors’ backup center, Chris Boucher, who scored 14 points and snatched 11 rebounds. Bamba showed some glimpses of his defensive potential on a couple of plays rolling to help his teammates and blocking two shots, but he finished the game with a meager three points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.

With Vucevic potentially out of the lineup for an extended period, the Magic will need both players to provide solid defensive backing and help the offense through their screening. The Magic will run fewer cuts off the high post that Vucevic was so good at distributing from.

That means Orlando will use more pick and rolls to create movement within the defense. Birch is a strong screener who can dive to the basket. But Bamba has struggled the most this year. His offense has not come around this year and he has struggled still with the physicality in the paint.

Orlando will probably start Birch and keep Bamba in his current reserve role. But the team will need Bamba to step up in this role. Everyone will have to pull their weight.

The star of the Magic big men against the Raptors was Johnathan Isaac. The third-year forward did not miss a beat after returning from a sprained ankle. He showed no signs of the ankle bothering him with his impressive footwork defensively and aggressiveness on offense.

In the second quarter, Isaac jumped and contested a driving Terence Davis who elected to pass to his teammate Boucher but Isaac turned around and was right there to block his dunk attempt.

Also, Isaac displayed his much improved mid-range game taking his man off the dribble, backing up and knocking down mid-range jumpers. He finished the game with 16 points, three blocks, one steal and a career-high with 13 rebounds.

Jonathan Isaac helped lock down Pascal Siakam for much of the game. Siakam shot just 7 for 18 for the game, but only 3 for 11 in the second half. That helped keep the game within striking distance for the Magic, if only they could get their offense going.

If Gordon has to miss any extended time especially, Isaac will likely get more shot opportunities and play a bigger role within the offense. This season, he has a 16.4 percent usage rate. That is virtually the same number he posted last year. He is shooting only 9.0 field goal attempts per game (nearly one more field goal per game from last year).

With a 60.1-percent true-shooting percentage (91.3 percent from the foul line) and career-best numbers in field goal percentage (49.5 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage (35.9 percent on 3.5 attempts per game), Isaac has increased his efficiency and confidence as a shooter.

But the team will need more from him. The team will probably run more plays to get him open and in spots he likes. They will have to if they want to make up for Gordon’s absence.

The Magic do not know the severity of Vucevic and Gordon’s injuries yet. Both players’ X-rays came back negative, neither reviling any fractures. But expect Isaac’s number to be called more often offensively with Gordon and Vucevic out of the lineup. He seems to be ready to accept the challenge and Birch is eager to prove he is deserving of additional minutes.

In any case, everyone will have to step up to make up for the loss of these two key players. The Magic will still have plenty to fight for until they return.