Orlando Magic Center Wendell Carter Jr. Adapting to 'Trauma' with Hand Injury
ORLANDO - It may not be long before the Orlando Magic get their big man back.
Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. has been ramping up his rehab from a broken left hand that he suffered on Nov. 2 against the Utah Jazz. While Carter Jr.'s return is near after missing 18 straight games, what ultimately will lead to him being cleared to return is how his hand progresses and adapts to dealing with contact again.
"I just kind of look at each day as an opportunity [to] just allow it to get better," Carter Jr. said. "I think the biggest thing is just my hand getting used to the trauma. You know, it's been wrapped up for four weeks. So it just has to be getting used to the ball hitting me, grabbing rebounds, blocking shots, send screens, things like that. You just got to get used to that trauma."
Wendell Carter Jr.
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Carter Jr. only played in five games before suffering the hand injury. He was in the midst of his best performance of the season with a season-high 14 points and 10 rebounds against Utah before getting hurt in the game's final seconds.
Through five games, Carter Jr. averaged 9.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
In Carter Jr.'s absence, the Magic (16-7) have gone 13-5, including a nine-game winning streak. Center Goga Bitadze has stepped in and performed well, averaging 8.11 points, 6.78 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in his 18 starts.
If Carter Jr. can return and play how he did against the Jazz, he could make an already strong Magic team even better after their hot start to the season.
Orlando heads north to face the Boston Celtics in back-to-back games at the TD Garden. The Magic and Celtics square off in the first of their two games on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
