The Orlando Magic are so deep into a youth movement that one of the team’s veterans in soon-to-be 28-year-old Gary Harris. Outside of Terrence Ross, no player on the roster has been in the league longer than Harris, who is about to enter his eighth year in the NBA and his second full year with the Magic, who acquired him at the trade deadline in 2021 from the Denver Nuggets.
Unfortunately for the Magic, it sounds like they won’t have Harris’ services for a period of time. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Harris suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. The team is still in the process of gathering information on how long he will be sidelined, with Harris set to “undergo further evaluation.”
Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee and will undergo further evaluation to determine a timetable for a return, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2022
While losing Harris is a tough pill to swallow, Orlando has a number of young guards who could benefit from more playing time. That’s especially the case for second-year guard Jalen Suggs, who the team selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and had his growing pains during his rookie campaign. Orlando also has Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, and R.J. Hampton among its core of younger players in the backcourt.
Harris averaged 11.1 points in 28.4 minutes per game last season and connected on 38.4 percent of his attempts from three. He agreed to a 2-year contract extension with the team this offseason.