The Orlando Magic have dealt with numerous injuries this season. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were both out of action for a long period of time due to injuries, and Moritz Wagner suffered a season-ending ACL injury in December. Unfortunately for Orlando, they are still being hit by the injury bug with Jalen Suggs being the newest victim.
Suggs has been out of action due to a knee injury since late January. Furthermore, he has only appeared in three games since the turn of the calendar. While there was some hope he could return by the end of the season, this is no longer the case. According to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins, Suggs underwent surgery to “remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee.” Per Robbins, the Magic guard will now officially be out for the rest of the season.
(1/2) Jalen Suggs has undergone his arthroscopic surgery to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee and will be out for the remainder of the regular season and any postseason games, a team spokesman said. In addition, …
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) March 4, 2025
(2/2) … the procedure also included a mosaicplasty to repair the trochlear joint surface, the spokesman said.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) March 4, 2025
Before his injury, Suggs was in the midst of a career year, averaging 16.2 points, 4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Key Orlando Magic Starter Jalen Suggs Will Officially Miss the Rest of the Season
The Impact of Jalen Suggs’ Injury
With Suggs officially out for the rest of the season, the Magic’s defense will likely take a big hit. When Suggs is on the court, the Magic have a DRTG of 108.1, per StatMuse. Without Suggs, their DRTg drops to 113.9. After earning Defensive Player of the Year votes last season, Suggs was having another solid campaign.
Additionally, Suggs’ absence will have a big impact on the standings. Despite being a top-four seed for most of the season, the Magic are now the No. 8 seed in the East. Furthermore, they are just 0.5 games ahead of the No. 9 seed Atlanta Hawks. While a postseason appearance is still highly probable, the Magic will most likely finish as a Play-In team. Considering their standings for most of the season, as well as their incredible season last year, this is a bit disappointing for Orlando.
With Suggs on the sidelines, the Magic will continue to rely more heavily on Cole Anthony as their starting point guard.
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