LAS VEGAS – With lower back stiffness continuing to bother him, Orlando Magic center Khem Birch figured that he would not play much, if at all, on Thursday night in the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League.
But when Birch learned that teammates Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba, Isaiah Briscoe, Byron Mullins and Antonio Campbell would miss the game for a variety of injury concerns, Birch brushed his pain aside and took one for the team. That willingness to sacrifice for the good of others is one of many reasons that the 6-foot-9, 220-pound Birch has become a team favorite on the Magic and should continue to have a firm place on the regular-season roster next season.