Nikola Vucevic admitted his sprained right ankle is not as bad as he first expected it to be. The Orlando Magic first expected the center to miss several weeks with the injury, but quickly pivoted to say he will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days.
Vooch explained what went on with his injury after he and teammate Aaron Gordon were both forced to leave in the second quarter of Wednesday's game against the Toronto Raptors:
“Yeah, I think so. I have a bone bruise in it and that’s what’s causing most of the pain,” said Vucevic, noting his ankle is feeling better now that he's had his cast removed, according to John Denton of Magic.com. “That usually takes a while. But it’s better than I thought it would be when I first did it.”
“It’s been better each day, but there’s still swelling and pain. But it’s getting better and I’ve been able to do more exercises in the pool, weight room and I did some bike. So, it’s getting there, but I still can’t do much like any type of running. It’s going to take some time. There’s still some swelling, but it’s been better every day.”
The Magic are among the league's least efficient shooting teams, and losing two of their three best scorers in Vooch and Air Gordon puts them in sheer survival mode.
Orlando has lost its last three games, including Wednesday's game against the Raptors, where Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon only played 12 minutes each. The recovery of both players will be paramount to keep the Magic's season hopes alive.