In early February, Orlando Magic big man Mo Bamba underwent a procedure to repair a stress fracture in his left tibia, which effectively ended his rookie campaign in the NBA. Though he's been out of commission, Bamba says his recovery process is going very well.
According to a report from Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Bamba is back to jogging and shooting jump-shots in practice. And when asked if he'd like to participate in this year's Summer League festivities, Bamba seemed receptive to the thought. Whether or not he'll be cleared to play by then remains to be seen, however.
Mo Bamba said his rehab from a stress fracture in his shin is going very well. He’s jogging and shooting jumpers. Asked if he would like to play in summer league, he answered, “I’d love to get some reps in summer league. It would be awesome to (do that).”
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) April 25, 2019
Bamba was enjoying a fine rookie season before going down with his injury, especially on the defensive end of the floor. In 47 appearances with the Magic, the former No. 6 overall pick racked up averages of 6.2 points on 48.1 percent shooting from the field (30.0 percent from beyond the arc), 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 16.3 minutes per contest.
Though he says he's feeling good about his recovery, the Magic will likely be cautious with their approach to his return. Currently, he remains without an official timetable. Khem Birch picked up quite a bit of playing time with Bamba sidelined.
Overall, the Magic were a much better team this season than they have been in the past. Last season, they won just 25 games. This season, under the direction of new head coach Steve Clifford, the team won 42 games and earned a No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, marking their first berth in the postseason since 2012.
If Bamba comes back healthy and the Magic stay on course, they'll likely be contenders again next season.
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