With Nikola Vucevic still recovering from injury, it has opened up a lot of minutes to be distributed to the other centers of the Orlando Magic. Bismack Biyombo has started in his place, but Khem Birch has also received some playing time and has been able to showcase his skill set.
The 25-year-old UNLV product has shown that he can be a force, especially on the defensive end with his ability to block shots. Birch proved that once again on Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks when he rejected the attempt of Ersan Ilyasova too emphatically that the ball went all the way back to midcourt.
BIRCH WITH THE BLđźš«CK https://t.co/ZInp8vskao
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 9, 2018
Through 17 games, Birch has filled in well in the limited court action he's been given. He is averaging 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game and has come off the bench night in and night out with quality minutes to relieve Biyombo. It will be interesting to see what kind of role he'll have once Vucevic returns, but it appears that he has earned some run with his performances of late.
The Magic have extended their current winning streak to three games with their 100-98 win over the Hawks. The win gives them more separation against the Hawks who occupy the bottom spot in the East. Atlanta, on the other hand, is also surprising winners of two consecutive games prior to their defeat at the hands of the Magic.
Orlando saw erstwhile starting point guard Elfrid Payton pack his bags for the Phoenix Suns after a deadline-beating trade earlier in the day.
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