'Injuries Are Kicking Our A**' Magic Injury Scares Open Opportunities for Rookies Black, Howard

The Orlando Magic fell to the Sacramento Kings and lost several players to injury in the contest.

The Orlando Magic is hoping for quick recoveries after several injury scares in their double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings. 

Hours before the game, Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz, and Joe Ingles were all listed as out. Right before tipoff, Cole Anthony joined that list. During the game, Franz Wagner and Gary Harris also suffered injuries and exited.

“Injuries are kicking our a** right now, and you know, next man up mentality, and you know, those guys stepped in and just did a tremendous job, they kept us in the game…made big plays on both sides of the ball and gave us a chance to win the game multiple times,” Banchero said.

With Orlando’s depth taking a massive hit, there are concerns about whether or not the team can keep its playoff hopes alive. The Magic currently sits at 19-15 and sixth in the Eastern Conference, but the team was ranked as high as second earlier in the season.

Orlando Magic rookie Anthony Black (0) guards Devin Booker (1) of the Phoenix Suns / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Ingles, Anthony, and Harris are among Orlando’s best three-point shooters and are desperately needed on a roster that is regarded as the worst three-point shooting squad in the NBA. If they fail to make speedy recoveries, Orlando might have to turn to rookies Anthony Black and Jett Howard to shoulder the offensive burden.

Black has already shown that he can be called up when needed. In 27 games as a starter, he is only averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 assists, but has shot 34 percent from deep and helped Orlando win 16 of those 27 games.

Howard is a much bigger question mark. In the absence of Wagner, Ingles, and Harris, sophomore Caleb Houstan and rookie Howard will have their numbers called. To his credit, Houstan has improved his three-point shot to 39 percent on the same amount of attempts, but he only gets 12 minutes of play per game.

Howard has only played in nine NBA games and is a 25 percent three-point shooter in limited minutes. A reach with the 11th overall pick, he has spent most of the season in Osceola, where, in six games, is averaging 20.3 points on 28 percent shooting from deep. Granted, G League success doesn’t always translate to NBA greatness, but when called upon, there is hope that Howard will be able to rise to the occasion.

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Of course, Harris, and Anthony are both currently listed as day-to-day, and Wagner’s x-ray on his ankle came back negative, so he could also return rather soon. However, with Orlando very much in the playoff hunt, making sure it has depth in case of catastrophe should be a priority moving forward.