The Orlando Magic starting five should again include two Duke basketball talents soon.
For the first time since early November, the Orlando Magic (16-9) may enjoy the services of both of their Duke basketball products when they host the Miami Heat (15-12) at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, a Duke basketball one-and-done forward who went No. 1 overall to the Magic in 2022, has been notably durable as a 21-year-old budding superstar for the upstart Orlando squad. He’s played all 25 games, averaging 21.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.4 steals, and 1.0 assists.
But the Magic’s other former one-year Blue Devil sensation, 24-year-old big man Wendell Carter Jr., has missed the past 20 contests while rehabbing the fractured third metacarpal bone in his left hand.
Carter, who heard his name at No. 7 overall to the Chicago Bulls at the 2018 NBA Draft and is now in his fourth season as a full-time Magic starter (when healthy), no longer appears on Orlando’s injury report.
On Sunday night, he hinted that might be the case via this post:
It’s a positive sign. However, according to head coach Jamahl Mosley, it’s no guarantee he’ll see significant minutes against the Heat.
“He was able to go through a little bit more practice, little bit of contact, just being able to see what he felt, you know, through some of the drills defensively and offensively,” Mosley told the media on Tuesday, per The Magic Insider’s Jeremy Brener. “We’re going to just see how he feels tomorrow.”
Entering this season, Wendell Carter Jr. had been a double-digit scorer across his entire pro career. In his five outings this go-round, though, he’s averaging only 9.4 points.
The Magic sit at No. 4 in the Eastern Conference standings after finishing 34-48 last season and failing to reach the NBA Playoffs for the third straight year.
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