The Orlando Magic were hoping to get Jalen Suggs back soon to provide some kind of spark for their all-but dead offense, but that’s not going to happen, as the team announced on Friday that the Magic have ruled Suggs “out indefinitely, as a treatment plan is developed” due to a trochlea injury in his left knee. On Sunday, the team announced that Suggs would undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and that “his return to the court will depend on how he responds to post-operative treatment and rehabilitation.” He is expected to make a full recovery.
Suggs left Orlando’s game vs. Toronto with back spasms and has only played once since. If you’re wondering what the trochlea is, here you go:
This is tough news for Suggs and the Magic, who are in desperate need of whatever help they can get — particularly on the offensive end, where they rank 29th since the return of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, both of whom are hovering around the 30% mark from 3-point range.
Suggs is just a 31% 3-point shooter himself, but he makes the Magic go with his energy on both ends and can impact an offense more than his shooting numbers would suggest. At the end of the day, Suggs averages 16 points per game. With Moe Wagner also out for the year, Suggs would’ve been the only player outside of Franz Wagner and Banchero to even average double-digit points for the Magic.
Injuries have ravaged Orlando this season. They were looking like a threat for a top-four seed early on, but extended absences for Banchero and Franz Wagner (both suffered the same torn oblique injury) derailed it all, and then Suggs going out drove the nail in even deeper.
Banchero, Franz Wagner and Suggs have played just one game together since November. The Magic just do not have the firepower to make up for basically never having their three best scorers on the floor together. As it stands, Orlando is clinging to the East’s No. 8 seed and leads No. 9 Atlanta by just half of a game in the loss column.
Since Suggs went out, the Magic have lost 17 of 25 games. The season is spiraling, but at least there’s optimism for Suggs to make a full recovery long-term.
