NBA Injury Report: How Healthy Is The Orlando Magic?
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ORLANDO - With less than a month until the Orlando Magic tips off its season against the Detroit Pistons, the team heads into the 2023 campaign with more questions than answers.
With the biggest question mark from last season still looming on: when will this team be fully healthy?
The Orlando Sentinel’s Khobi Price has recently begun a five-part series highlighting different topics heading into the season with this being his most recent question.
“Player-availability inquiries came frequently for president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and coach Jamahl Mosley in light of the Magic having the most games missed (449) because of injuries and the league’s health and safety protocols according to ManGamesLost.com, an injury analytics website,” Price said.
With the most uncertainty surrounding the 24-year-old forward who has not played in two calendar years: Jonathan Isaac.
The No. 6 pick from the 2017 Draft, Isaac has been held out the previous two seasons from an ACL tear suffered during the NBA Bubble.
The glimpse of potential Isaac showed when he did play has not faltered, entering next season with +18000 odds to win the Defensive Player of the Year.
“As for [Isaac], he’s progressing,” Mosley said on Magic’s official podcast, Pod Squad. “No grand news on time of when [he’ll return], but he stays on the same path every day with his work ethic, habits and wanting to get back out there. Nobody’s working harder.”
One of the Magic’s lone veterans could also be held out until the end of training camp.
After suffering a meniscus tear last month, guard Gary Harris is currently on track for a 6-8 week recovery. If that plan stays afloat, the ninth-year guard will be right on track for a return before the Magic season opener.
Orlando hopes both players play a big role in its 2022-23 season, which begins October 19 against the Detroit Pistons.
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