Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba will not be able to participate in contact drills when training camp kicks off, per The Athletic’s Josh Robbins, who also reports forward Al-Farouq Aminu isn’t quite ready to take part as he isn’t at full strength in the wake of corrective surgery from 11 months ago.
Bamba, who was found to have contracted COVID-19 back in June, was unable to complete the Magic’s 2019/20 campaign and is understood to be struggling with lingering effects despite only showing mild symptoms prior to his positive test.
“Coach Steve Clifford revealed Tuesday that Mo Bamba and Al-Farouq Aminu will not be ready to participate in contract drills when camp opens, adding that Bamba and Aminu both are “a ways away” from playing,” Robbins wrote this week. “Bamba continues to recover from the long-term effects of contracting COVID-19 six months ago, and Aminu still isn’t at full strength after surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage 11 months ago.”
The Magic said Bamba’s return would be “be measured in months, not weeks” after the player left the bubble to undergo tests in August.
The Athletic reports Bamba has shown progress in recent weeks as he continues to work out but is among so-called COVID “long haulers” who continue to struggle long after the virus is gone.
