In one moment during the third quarter of the Orlando Magic's preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, everything seemed to be crashing down in front of this young team once again.
Wendell Carter Jr., amid a solid game where he showed off his physicality and reclaimed his dominance on the boards, went up to contest a jumper by Daniel Theis. As every basketball player has done at one point or another, Carter landed on Theis' foot and rolled his ankle.
Immediately, he screamed and went down to the floor before leaving the game for good—finishing with four points on 2-for-3 shooting and six rebounds in 19:50. In the sort-of empty Smoothie King Center on a Monday afternoon, it probably was an unsettling thing to see.
It was certainly something that would resonate. the kind of thing nobody wants to see in a preseason game.
Especially Carter. He made it clear to the media a week ago on Media Day that his goal was to put his checkered injury past behind him and play all 82 games, even if that was an all-too-lofty goal beyond his control. This could be a huge setback to achieving that.
Carter is slated to undergo imaging in San Antonio on Tuesday before the Magic's second preseason game on Wednesday. It is safe to assume he will miss that game. Paolo Banchero joked after Monday's game that he told Wendell Carter to sit out the rest of the preseason. The team would need him for game one of the season on Oct. 23 in Miami.
The Magic as an organization seemed to agree.
In a measure of some whiplash, the Magic announced they had signed Carter to a contract extension. Shams Charania of ESPN reported it would be for three years, $59 million (his max allowable while signing this kind of extension) taking him through the 2029 season. The third year of that deal has a team option, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
In a surprising move, the Magic signed Carter to a long-term deal that seemingly entrenches him as the starting center for this team. They did so after Carter came off such a frustrating season, his worst in a Magic uniform.
No matter how you view Carter's extension, there is only one thing Carter has to do to ensure he lives up to this faith and trust:
He has to stay healthy. And that is his singular goal and focus.
Wendell Carter Jr. has struggled with injuries his entire career
That is asking a lot for the still-young big man.
Carter has struggled with various nagging injuries throughout his career. He has played more than 60 games just once in his career—62 games in the 2022 season. Last year, he struggled to play only 55, the fewest since he joined the Magic.
It almost feels like the team had to pencil him in for missing 15-20 games per year. That can be a hard thing to stomach in a position that is so important.
More frustrating perhaps, he is never rehabbing the same injury. It always seems like it is something new that knocks him out for months at a time.
Last year, it was a fractured bone in his left hand that tripped him up the entire season. He suffered that on Oct. 31 in the fourth game of the season while skying for a game-clinching rebound late in the win over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Immediately after grabbing the rebound and getting fouled, he clutched his hand and ran off the court.
Carter sat for 21 games after undergoing surgery on his left hand, missing out on the team's In-Season Tournament run, nine-game win streak and so much more. Carter admitted after the season he rushed back, hungering to contribute to the team's success and make the Playoffs for the first time.
That decision may have contributed to an overall down season where Carter averaged only 11.0 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game, both low marks since he arrived in Orlando in 2021.
Shortly after Game 7 and the end of the season, Carter underwent a second surgery. That forced him to slow down a bit during the summer and forced Carter to reflect on how he can get better. It forced him to focus on himself beyond the court.
"My body feels amazing," Carter said during Media Day last week. "But what feels even better is my mental. I took a lot of time this summer after I had my second surgery making sure I was mentally ready and available for this team. More than physically, I got injured last year, my mental took a really big toll. Just doubting myself a lot throughout the year. I took a lot of time working on my mental health this summer. I feel like I'm at a really good level."
Carter said he hired a team to help him not only recover physically but mentally. They worked on everything to have him ready to play this season.
During training camp, Carter was sporting a large wrap around his left hand. He said it was merely a precaution. He felt it was stronger than ever. He said during camp he felt as confident as he had ever been in his body.
That is a good sign considering it seemed as though Carter lost a step and lost some of his aggression in the paint during his injury-filled 2024 season.
More than anything Carter had to rediscover his confidence.
A new contract puts faith back in Carter
The Orlando Magic are not giving Wendell Carter a new contract out of the goodness of their hearts. They are keeping Carter around and investing in him because they believe in the impact he can make on the team.
The Magic are a unique team with two 6-foot-10 forwards who handle the ball and push the ball down the court. The goal is to put pressure on the rim.
Having a traditional pick-and-roll big man clogging the lane will not work. Orlando needs a center who can stretch the floor.
Carter did one thing well last year, he shot a career-best 37.4 percent from three on 3.1 3-point attempts per game (slightly down from the 2023 season). His shooting is a valuable trait.
But Carter is more than that. He was an effective passer from the high post and an effective screener to spring players like Banchero and Wagner free. He has become a master at the Gortat screen, screening his own man to give a free lane for Wagner especially to attack the rim.
Carter does a lot of things that fit in with the Magic offensively and the versatile way they attack the basket.
He fits in a lot of ways defensively too.
Despite not being the typical athletic shot blocker, he was a solid rim protector, at least statistically. Opponents shot only 58.4 percent at the rim against him according to data from Second Spectrum. That was significantly better than the 64.0 percent he gave up in the 2023 season.
Carter fits the Magic's solid defensive identity in many ways.
What the Magic are betting on
The Orlando Magic are betting on Wendell Carter (at 25 years old) to continue improving and growing as a shooter, screener, and offensive weapon. They are betting on what Carter has shown them defensively as a solid paint protector if not an above-the-rim protector.
But ultimately what they are betting on is his health. They are betting on Carter being able to be on the floor for the key parts of the season, especially in the Playoffs. That is the only way this works and the only way Carter establishes his place on the team.
He knows that and he worked on it this offseason and he tried to come back stronger and healthy for the season.
"I feel like I'm one of the best bigs in this league," Carter said at Media Day. "I feel like when my confidence is up there, a lot of people cannot guard me. Offensively, just being confident. Defensively, being Wendell. Being that old Wendell who was stopping some of the best players on the other team. Just get back to that level."
Carter has every reason to believe he can be an impact player in this league -- he averaged around 15.0 points per game in the previous two seasons. He is a player who can dominate the interior. He is an excellent defensive rebounder, a mark that decreased last year as he dealt with his physical limitations.
It is why health is Carter's focus this season.
Of course, as he found out in the first preseason game, sometimes that is out of his control. Injuries happen. And Carter will have to be patient enough to wait this injury out so it can heal and strong enough to play through it when he gets the clearance to return.
There are a lot of questions everyone has about Carter. A fresh new contract only increases the pressure. Carter has a lot to prove all over again.
"I feel like that every year," Carter said at Media Day. "I feel like every year I have to prove I'm getting better. I feel like that's kind of the nature of being in the NBA. You never want to stay at the same level. That's when people start doubting you. I think just being better than I was last year."