Magic Rookie Aaron Gordon Fractures Bone In Left Foot, Out Indefinitely

Just one day after the Orlando Magic’s best young player returned to the lineup, another very promising one is leaving it. Rookie forward Aaron Gordon fractured a bone in his left foot during Orlando’s loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday and is out indefinitely, the team announced this morning.

Via Magic.com:

Orlando Magic rookie Aaron Gordon, the No. 4 pick in last June’s NBA Draft, fractured a bone in his left foot on Saturday night and will be out indefinitely, GM Rob Hennigan announced on Sunday.

Gordon, a valuable reserve this season for the Magic because of his athleticism and versatility, fractured the fifth metatarsal late in the Magic’s 98-83 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound rookie had his foot X-rayed following Saturday’s game and it revealed the fracture. He left the Verizon Center late Saturday night wearing a protective walking boot.

Gordon, the youngest player in the NBA this season at 19 years old, will be further evaluated as to the best course of action for treatment upon the team’s return to Orlando.

Gordon’s break came just 24 hours after Victor Oladipo – last season’s runner-up for Rookie of the Year – made his 2014-2015 debut. Oladipo missed the first nine games of the season due to a facial fracture he suffered in training camp that required surgery.

Orlando has no delusions of contention in the Eastern Conference this season, and the loss of Gordon doesn’t compare to Oladipo’s from a production or value standpoint. The 19 year-old isn’t only a reserve for the Magic, but his impact has came and went in the season’s early going as befitting most young players. Gordon’s worth to Orlando for now comes mostly on defense – his presence allows offensive centerpiece Tobias Harris to check power forwards as opposed to wearing himself out chasing wings on the perimeter.

This is a loss for Orlando. Definitely. Gordon’s solid recent play suggested that perhaps his role would slowly be expanded as the season progressed, and assessing the viability of this group’s future championship hopes is made more difficult without him on the court.

But due to the somewhat minor nature of the injury and the Magic’s state of rebuilding, Gordon’s break is hardly cause for major long-term concern. He’ll almost surely recover from this in time to play a meaningful chunk of the season’s second half and build on a promising start to his rookie campaign.

We’ll certainly miss plays like this while he’s out, though:

Get well soon, AG!

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