TORONTO — Victor Oladipo‘s protective mask is transparent, but it still requires some getting used to.
Oladipo, who suffered a facial fracture to multiple bones on Oct. 23, recently started practicing again with the Orlando Magic. Oladipo worked out Tuesday morning and shot baskets with the mask Tuesday night, before his teammates played against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.
“You get used to it day-by-day,” Oladipo said.
“Around the eyes, it’s a little bit wider than normal just so I can see a little bit better, so it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. During practice, I thought I could see pretty good peripherally and out of the corner of my eye. It’s just something you’ve got to get used to, especially the sweat. Other than that, it’s OK.”
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said Oladipo is “a little rusty,” which is understandable given that Oladipo missed most of October with a sprained ligament in his right knee.
Family pride
Aaron Gordon and his family received happy news Monday when they learned that Drew Gordon, the oldest of the family’s three children, had been called up to the Philadelphia 76ers from the NBA Development League.
“I’m extremely excited,” Aaron Gordon said, beaming from ear-to-ear. “It’s awesome. Having myself and my brother in the NBA at the same time? It’s great. It’s a dream come true.”
Drew texted Aaron with the news, and Aaron responded by calling Drew.
Drew, 24, attended UCLA and the University of New Mexico and has played professionally in Italy, Serbia and Turkey.
The Magic are scheduled to play the 76ers twice more this season, on Dec. 21 and Feb. 22.
“I hope he does extremely well,” Aaron said, still smiling. “I’m glad that we’re going to be on the same court again together.”
Patterson recruited
Raptors power forward Patrick Patterson entered Tuesday night’s game with 3:31 to go in the first quarter.
It didn’t have to happen that way.
He could have started the game — as a member of the Magic.
Intrigued by Patterson’s long-range shooting ability and rebounding presence, the Magic pursued Patterson when he was a restricted free agent over the summer.
“It was very tempting as far as being given an opportunity to be a starter, given an opportunity to have a team want me and want to build and saw me as a key component to their future,” Patterson said. “So it was very tempting to go down there.”
Patterson, 25, re-signed with the Raptors, agreeing to a three-year deal worth a reported $18 million.
The Magic wound up signing another stretch four, Channing Frye, to a four-year deal worth about $32 million.
A star in Canada
In Canada, Magic rookie point guard Elfrid Payton isn’t the most famous athlete in his own family.
That honor goes to his dad, Elfrid Payton Sr., who starred in the Canadian Football League as a defensive end. The elder Payton played 14 CFL seasons and recorded 154 quarterback sacks, the second-highest total in league history.
The younger Payton recalls seeing his dad play games in Toronto and Montreal.
Payton Sr., who played for the Toronto Argonauts in 2001, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
A visit on this trip to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame wasn’t possible because it is based in Hamilton, Ontario, which is about 45 miles from Toronto.
“It’s a little far from here,” the younger Payton said.
jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
