Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford said on Friday that the MRI Mo Bamba recently had on his sore left foot revealed no structural damage. However, it sounds like the former No. 6 overall pick will be out of commission for the weekend, at least.
.@OrlandoMagic c Mo Bamba underwent a MRI on his sore left foot and it showed no structural damage. Not likely to play in weekend games vs. @celtics (Sat) and @HoustonRockets (Sun), coach Steve Clifford said. Hope is he’ll return by Wednesday (vs. @DetroitPistons).
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) January 11, 2019
Bamba was held out of Wednesday's game due to his foot injury, and since he'll be sidelined for Orlando's upcoming back-to-back set, Khem Birch will likely see an uptick in his usage rate. Birch logged 17 minutes off the bench on Wednesday.
In his 39 appearances with the Magic this season (one start), Bamba has racked up averages of 6.3 points, five rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 16.6 minutes per outing. He is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The Magic have played their way to a 17-24 overall record through the first half of this season. At this point last season, Orlando was carrying a 12-29 record. Bamba, now 20 years of age, is hoping a strong showing in the second half of the season will net his team more wins.
“Offensively, it’s just about my overall energy and getting in that rhythm and flow and when the defense collapses, I have to trust my teammates,” Bamba recently said, per Magic.com. “Defensively, it’s just about being that presence and I feel like I’ve made some strides as far as blocking shots.
“Not a different player (over the next 41 games), but one who just contributes more toward winning,’’ Bamba added. “That’s a lot of what the coaching staff is asking of me and I think a lot of it will come just from experience.”
Orlando will be back in action on Saturday night, when they'll welcome the Boston Celtics to town.
Follow Us
Subscribe