Wendell Carter Jr. 'Excited' to Return to Magic After Month-Long Injury
ORLANDO - When Wendell Carter Jr. went down with a plantar fascia injury a month ago, the Orlando Magic was in a much different spot than it is now.
When Carter last played before his return to the court in Friday's win against the San Antonio Spurs, the Magic was 5-11.
Orlando struggled to find an identity in the frontcourt in Carter's absence, losing the first nine games without him. But then, a lightbulb appeared to turn on.
"For me, sitting on the sidelines throughout this stretch, I feel like defensively we did a really good job of locking in on the details and making in-game adjustments when need be," Carter said. "Offensively, we were sharing the ball like no other."
Carter's time away from the court forced other players to step up, giving others the capability to be one of the team's focal points on any given night.
"That is one of the recipes for a great team," Carter said. "It can be anybody’s night at any moment. I’ve always preached that since the beginning of this year. It’s starting to finally show and like I've always said, the sky’s the limit for this team. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
Carter came off the bench in his return during Friday's win against the Spurs. In 18 minutes, he scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds. It's unknown if he'll re-enter the starting five at some point given how successful the team has been lately with Moe Wagner filling his role, but regardless of who starts, it's apparent that Carter plays a key role for the Magic.
Carter looks to continue getting back into his groove Tuesday when LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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