ORLANDO, Fla. — Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. will undergo surgery to stabilize the third metacarpal on his left hand, the team announced over the weekend.

Doctors will place a plate at the fracture site on the hand, the team said.

Orlando did not say when the preventative procedure will take place but said the hand will be re-evaluated about four weeks after it is completed. Carter Jr., 25, is expected to make a full recovery.

Carter Jr. originally sustained the injury in a 115-113 victory against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 2, 2023.

He had surgery and missed 20 games after that.

Carter Jr., who is 6 feet 10 and weighs 262 pounds, played in 55 regular season games (48 starts) this season with Orlando. He also was out for single games on Dec. 29, 2023 and on March 6 and missed five games in a row from Jan. 5-13 with a variety of injuries. Orlando won 16 of the 27 games he was out during the regular season. 

Carter averaged 11 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.6 minutes per game in the regular season. He shot .525 (223-for-425) from the floor and 37.4% (64-for-171) from 3-point range. He led or tied for lead in team scoring twice, led in rebounding 26 times and in assists once. Carter Jr. scored in double figures 28 times and 20-plus points three times, including a season-high 25 points on Jan. 19 against the Philadelphia 76ers. He had 10-plus rebounds 10 times, including a season-high 15 rebounds on Mar. 10 against the Indiana Pacers, and had nine double-doubles.

Carter Jr. averaged 7.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per game in the playoffs, starting five of the seven games.