Apr 14, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The Orlando Magic’s injury woes continue to pile up.
Victor Oladipo, already recovering from a sprained MCL in his right knee, will be out indefinitely after suffering a facial fracture during practice Thursday.
Oladipo was reportedly struck by an inadvertent elbow under his right eye according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
The 22-year-old has already missed the entire preseason due to his MCL injury and he is now likely to miss the start of the regular season.
Robbins adds that two Magic players have suffered facial fractures in the past: Courtney Lee missed 10 days in 2009 while Hedo Turkoglu missed 21 days with his injury in 2012.
Oladipo was pencilled in to be the team’s starting point guard on opening night but it now appears as though rookie Elfrid Payton will step into that role. The injury also means Luke Ridnour, Ben Gordon and Evan Fournier, among others, will see an increase in playing time.
The Magic are also still without free agent signing Channing Frye as he recovers from his own MCL sprain. However, he is getting closer to returning as he has been taking jump shots but is still not expected to be ready for opening night.
Orlando begin their regular season on Tuesday when they travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans.