National Basketball Association

Jodie Meeks on latest injury: 'It was a little scary'

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Orlando Magic guard Jodie Meeks is still waiting to make his season debut. He called the setback he had this summer a little scary.

The Orlando Magic needed shooting this summer. And a pure shooter became available for relatively little cost — a 2019 second round pick.

The Magic felt like they picked up a low-risk steal in acquiring Jodie Meeks this summer. And it looked early on that Meeks would provide the veteran 3-point shooting the Magic needed to add to their lineup.

The Detroit Pistons even threw him into a game late in the season and used him in the Playoffs on a limited basis. Meeks seems like he was ready to return.

He arrived in Orlando and said he had a clean bill of health after missing all but three games with a fracture to his fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The Magic published video of him going through a workout on the Amway Center practice floor following Summer League.

In late July though, the Magic announced Meeks’ foot was not healing properly. He would need surgery to repair the problem and he would be out indefinitely.

This news was surprising and, frankly, scary to Meeks, as he told Aaron McMann of MLive.com:

“It felt fine, I took the exit interview (with Detroit), got the X-ray and all that, the bone was healed,” Meeks said. “I’ve been working out all summer and felt fine. And then after I got traded, I took another X-ray and all that, and it said I had broken (foot). I was surprised because I didn’t feel anything. So it was a little scary.”

It was very different from how the injury occurred in the first place. A little more than a year ago, Meeks reported hearing a pop as he came around a pick and roll. It was clear something was wrong.

Meeks felt frustration last year because the bone just would not heal. It was a long road to get back even last year.

This time around, it seemed Meeks was working out fine without any discomfort before an X-ray revealed a problem. The Magic likely kept things safe and opted to treat the problem early in the season.

Coach Frank Vogel said Meeks is on track for a return in late November. He was still in a walking boot during Media Day in late September, but has since shed the boot. He is able to take set shots and is often shooting free throws after practice now.

There are no indications Meeks is not on schedule for a return. Meeks told MLive.com he hopes to return to practice in a few weeks.

The Magic could certainly use his 3-point shooting. Orlando is shooting just 31.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Meeks is a career 37.3 percent 3-point shooter. In 2015, he averaged 11.1 points per game and shot 34.9 percent from beyond the arc. That was a down year for him. He has shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc in every year but two.

The Magic are eagerly awaiting his return to try to spread the floor some more.