Magic's Aaron Gordon to see specialist about foot fracture this week

Aaron Gordon has only been injured for a day and is already worried about missing basketball.

The Orlando Magic spoke with reporters on Monday for the first time since Sunday's news broke that Gordon has a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. The severity of the injury remains unclear, and Gordon will visit a foot specialist in Charlotte later this week to get a better handle on the right course of treatment and how long he may be out.

It's a disappointing turn for Gordon, who was off to a solid start to his rookie season. It's taken him all of 24 hours to start missing the game, but it's also taken him just that long to put up an optimistic front.

"During the game is when my spirits will be going down or at their lowest point," Gordon said. "I just have to figure out a way to stay around the game. Maybe I'll sit in the chair and work on jump hooks."

Head coach Jacque Vaughn revealed Monday that Gordon didn't actually suffer the injury Saturday, the last time he played, but instead had been dealing with discomfort for a while. Gordon thought changing his orthotics would be enough, but an X-ray revealed the fracture.

While he's now set to miss a chunk of his freshman campaign, Gordon's at least able to see a small silver lining.

"I guess it's a good time to rest and be healthy for the rest of the season," he said.

There may be something to avoiding the rookie wall, but an injury is just about the worst way to do it. The Magic had just gotten sophomore Victor Oladipo back, too, and are now temporarily robbed of a really fun, young defensive unit involving Oladipo, Gordon and fellow rookie Elfrid Payton.

In 11 games this season, Gordon is averaging 5.8 points and three rebounds in just 15 minutes, shooting 58.1 percent from the floor and proving versatile and effective defensively.