Magic star center Nikola Vucevic is on his way to recovering from a sprained ankle he suffered on November 20 against the Raptors.
According Josh Robbins of The Athletic, the nine-year pro is not yet running or taking jump shots but is rehabbing on a gravity-defying, low-impact treadmill.
Vucevic, who made his first All-Star appearance last season, has missed the last four games with the ankle injury. Orlando is 1-3 in those games.
The All-Star big man is averaging 17.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 14 games this season — slightly lower numbers than his breakout 2018-19.
Last season, Vucevic helped lead Orlando to their first playoff appearance since 2011-12. The 2018-19 Magic also won the Southeast division for the first time in nine years.
As the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, the Magic lost in five games to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors.
Vucevic was traded to the Magic from the 76ers in the 2012 four-team blockbuster trade that sent superstar Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since joining the team, the Swiss big man has been arguably the team's best player averaging 16.8 points and 10.7 rebounds in his Magic career.
The Magic as a team have taken a slight step back this season and currently sit as the ninth seed in the East with a 7-11 record. Orlando has gotten solid contributions from Vucevic and are enjoying a breakout season from third-year pro Jonathan Isaac. However, star power forward Aaron Gordon has taken a step back seeing his scoring drop from 16.0 per game last year to 12.7 this year on a career-low 40.6 field goal percentage.
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