Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon out 4-6 weeks with a sprained left ankle

The Orlando Magic entered the 2020-21 campaign having missed the playoffs in six of the past eight seasons. On the positive side, the Magic have made it to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

Additionally, the Orlando Magic posted six wins in their first eight outings. Unfortunately, their early success proved to be an aberration as they have gone 2-8 over their last 10 games. But the bad news doesn’t stop there.

Aaron Gordon sustained a sprained left ankle injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. And it was reported that he left the court on crutches. Gordon had tallied 14 points, five boards, and three assists prior to his departure. He will be out between 4-6 weeks, as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Through 19 games, the Magic forward is averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and a career-best 4.2 assists per contest. On top of that, Gordon is shooting 36.9 percent 3-point, which also represents a career-high.

Based on the numbers, replacing Gordon’s production will not be an easy task.

“It will be really difficult as we had to play a couple of games without him already,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said via 247sports.com. “It obviously will be hard.”

What makes matters even worse, Aaron Gordon’s injury is just one of several the Orlando Magic are dealing with this season. In light of Gordon’s injury, all four of the team’s power forwards are out of the rotation.

Jonathan Isaac has yet to suit up for the Magic this season following a torn ACL injury he sustained in the summer. Chuma Okeke has been on the shelf since early January thanks to a bone bruise in his left knee.

Al-Farouq Aminu is also on the shelf as a result of offseason knee surgery. Another key player missing for the Magic is Markelle Fultz. He is missing from the rotation due to a torn ACL injury. Talk about a streak of bad luck.

The Orlando Magic have lost each of their last three games. And they have dropped four of their past five contests overall. On the heels of the team’s recent slide, the Magic have dropped to the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They trail the Charlotte Hornets for the eighth spot.

With Aaron Gordon out of the rotation for at least a month, it will be interesting to see if the Magic can remain in the playoff hunt until he returns.