Aminu undergoes surgery for knee injury

D’Tigers star Al-Farouq Aminu has undergone an arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, The Newsmen reports.

The 30-year-old is expected to miss Orlando Magic’s 2020 NBA opening games as he recovers.

Aminu suffered a torn meniscus on his knee in November 2019, which limited him to just 18 games last season. He also missed 55 games last season due to injury, averaging a career-low 4.3 points per game, while shooting 29.1 per cent from the field, including 25 per cent from three, in 21 minutes.

Our correspondent gathered that the former Portland Trail Blazers’ star will not be cleared for contact work until next month.

“The veteran will work his way back, and we expect him to return to training in January at the earliest,” Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford said during a ZOOM conference with the media, which The Newsmen was part of Tuesday.

“I think it’s really hard to make any determination until he gets to the point he can do contact. I wouldn’t be comfortable saying he could do that now.

“And then, it’s how he feels after going through two or three or four tough days of practice where there is a lot of contacts. I think it’s really early to try to make an intelligent decision on his return.”

With Aminu out, rookies Chuma Okeke and Gary Clark are expected to fill in the void left by D’Tigers star.

The Magic signed Aminu to a three-year deal worth $29.2m in 2018.