With the 2022-23 NBA season approaching, the Orlando Sentinel is unveiling a five-part sequence of Orlando Magic storylines to keep watch over heading into coaching camp, which kicks off on Sept. 27 at their new state-of-the-art IntroductionHealth Training Center. Part one addressed whether or not the Magic did sufficient to show round their capturing woes.
Part Two: Health
The Magic’s season hasn’t began but, however they have already got injury-related questions.
Player-availability inquiries got here continuously for president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and coach Jamahl Mosley in mild of the Magic having essentially the most video games missed (449) due to accidents and the league’s well being and security protocols based on ManGamesLost.com, an injury analytics website.
They’ll face related questions on Media Day, which takes place Monday, due to the uncertainty of Gary Harris and Jonathan Isaac’s standing.
Isaac hasn’t performed since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee within the bubble on Aug. 2, 2020, after the league returned from a four-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harris, who signed a 2-year, $26 million contract extension to return to Orlando earlier than free company formally began July 1, had arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 31 to carry out a meniscectomy in his left knee after tearing cartilage.
Jalen Suggs additionally had surgical procedure in late April to handle a “slight” stress fracture in his proper ankle, however he’s anticipated to totally take part in camp after progressing to on-court work in mid-June and playing in at least one pickup game in the course of the offseason.
The most uncertainty surrounds Isaac.
Isaac’s missed the final two seasons due to the ACL damage.
He had a setback when he suffered a “minor right hamstring injury” that required surgical procedure throughout his March 15 rehab session — a few hours after the staff introduced he’d miss the rest of the 2021-22 season.
The Magic, like most NBA groups with regards to accidents lately, have been hesitant to place a timeline on Isaac’s return all through his rehab.
But there have been encouraging indicators for his progress.
Isaac hasn’t been seen carrying a brace or sleeve over his left leg throughout his particular person classes in a number of months. He additionally posted an Instagram story of himself dunking in late August after largely being seen by the media taking standstill leap pictures earlier than his hamstring damage.
“As for JI, he’s progressing,” Mosley stated on the Magic’s official podcast, Pod Squad. “He’s following all of the protocols we have for him for rehab. He’s staying on that track day by day and they keep monitoring it to see how he continues to progress. No grand news on time of when [he’ll return], but he stays on the same path every day with his work ethic, habits and wanting to get back out there. Nobody’s working harder.”
There’s a larger grasp on Harris’ damage.
Daniel Kharrazi, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, informed the Sentinel a meniscectomy is a “very common procedure,” including it typically can take as much as two months for an athlete to return.
“Think of the meniscus as a cushion between the bones and joints that gives you padding,” Kharrazi stated. “When that tears, it creates inflammation and pain inside the knee. In professional players, if it creates symptoms, we recommend arthroscopically fixing it so it can go back to normal.”
A 6-8 week restoration interval would give Harris a tentative return time-frame for mid-to-late October.
Orlando performs seven video games within the opening month, so Harris shouldn’t miss an excessive amount of of the season — if he misses any. He’ll doubtless be sidelined or no less than restricted for many of camp.
Tony Wanich, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon on the HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York, stated getting again full vary of movement and giving the knee sufficient time to adapt are emphasised for post-meniscectomy rehab.
“Any time you do any sort of knee/joint surgery, there’s a risk for scar tissue formation, which would lead to loss of motion and stiffness in the knee,” Wanich added. “Focusing on making sure they recover their range of motion is important. The other part is making sure the knee has enough time to adapt to this new situation. What I mean by that is you’ve got this knee where it’s lost a little bit of a cushion. Every time you do run and jump, there’s more impact that gets put on that bone. The body adapts to that, but this is why you’ve got to worry about rushing players back too quickly. If the bone doesn’t have enough time to adapt and adjust, that could delay the recovery because it’s putting too much impact on the bone.”
Harris and Isaac may have important roles for the Magic in 2022-23.
The final time Isaac performed, he was one of many league’s finest defenders and was constructing a résumé to be thought-about elite on that finish of the ground. That was greater than 2½ years in the past, however Isaac may nonetheless have the skillset to be a high-level defender.
Harris was one of many Magic’s most constant 3-and-D contributors final season and will slot in a number of lineups Mosley decides to make use of. He had a bounce-back 2021-22, enjoying extra video games (61) and scoring extra effectively than he has in a couple of seasons.
How impactful they’ll be will rely on the place they’re at healthwise to begin camp.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or comply with him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com