Postgame update: Carter Jr. did not come back to the contest Friday, so we’ll see if he plays Sunday against the Bucks.
Orlando Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. suffered a back injury just four minutes into Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, going to the locker room for further evaluation. Carter Jr. was struggling to defend Joel Embiid early in the game, picking up a few early fouls. He is officially considered questionable to return.
It’s been an interesting season for Carter Jr., who dealt with a hand injury earlier in the season which cost him substantial time. The big man has been a solid third option for the Magic, who are likely to be playoff bound once everything shakes out in the regular season. Carter Jr. hasn’t been some dominant post presence but he is averaging 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season. We’ll see how the Magic plan on replacing that level of production if he’s out for a substantial amount of time.
Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner are likely to be the first people called upon should Carter Jr. miss time. Wagner has more experience playing heavy minutes but Bitadze has been getting some decent opportunities lately. Paolo Banchero might have some opportunities as a small-ball center but Wagner and Bitadze are probably the first choices for Orlando.