John Raoux/Associated Press
Orlando Magic rookie center Mohamed Bamba will be out indefinitely after suffering a stress fracture in his lower left leg.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN first reported the news and noted Bamba is expected to miss “significant time.”
The 20-year-old missed Saturday’s game with what the team described as a “sore lower left leg,” but it’s clear the injury is more serious.
Thus far in his debut season, Bamba is averaging 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
The Magic selected Bamba with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft after one fantastic campaign at the University of Texas.
In his one year with the Longhorns, Bamba put up 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per contest.
The seven-footer then impressed at the combine thanks to his long wingspan before turning heads in individual workouts as well.
Orlando is in the midst of a rebuild having gone six years without reaching the playoffs, but Bamba may play a big role in getting back to postseason contention.
He is already a strong defensive presence, and the potential is there for him to become a highly productive offensive player as well in the coming years.
Bamba joined a talented group of young players in Orlando that also includes Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac.
While losing Bamba for any period of time could be detrimental to his development during the infancy of his career, the Magic do boast some solid depth in the frontcourt.
Nikola Vucevic and Khem Birch will see the bulk of the playing time at center if Bamba lands on the shelf, while Gordon will continue to play a big role at power forward.
Every game is important for the Magic when it comes to bringing their young talent along, which means getting Bamba back as soon as possible will be key in terms of Orlando working its way back toward relevancy in the near future.
from Top Viral News Blog http://bit.ly/2Twjg8Q
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