Like several NBA teams this season, the Orlando Magic have endured their own tragic bout of injuries to star players and role players alike. During that battle, Orlando managed to stay above water in the Eastern Conference just enough. At 24-24, Orlando is in seventh place in the East. Having as close to their full complement of players as possible will determine the remainder of the season. A recent injury update for the Magic reports that Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris could return this week, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
Magic Injury Update: Good News For Key Role Players
Orlando Magic’s Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris Receive Positive Injury Updates For This Week
The Magic jumped off to a great start in the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign. They were one of the top teams in their conference, continuing last season’s success of reaching the playoffs. Unfortunately, superstar Paolo Banchero tragically went down with an oblique tear on his right side, forcing him out for several weeks. Surprisingly, the Magic held serve with Banchero on ice. Franz Wagner took up the mantle and played like a monster. That is, until he, too, went down with an oblique tear on his right side.
The injuries kept coming as Wagner’s brother, Mo Wagner, suffered an injury not long after Franz’s. Gary Harris and Jalen Suggs eventually went down, too. Before you knew it, the Magic had lost traction in the East. Fortunately, not so much as to knock them out of playoff positioning. Banchero and Wagner are both back, and Suggs did return after missing 10 games but left in his first game back over the weekend due to a lower back strain.
Good News for Orlando
There is good news for Suggs, though, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Beede reports that Suggs will likely not miss too much time and could even return for Orlando’s Thursday night matchup in Portland, where they face the Trail Blazers. He missed Monday’s game—a loss to the Miami Heat. As for Harris, he appears to be closing in on his return to play after missing Orlando’s last 13 games. He suffered a hamstring injury but has participated in practices and is probable to return in Portland. Suggs and Harris are key contributors to the Magic, and having them back will be helpful. Orlando is 4-9 without Suggs in the lineup.
Climbing Back Up
Unfortunately, the Magic have experienced a tough slide of late, losing eight of their last 10 games and posting a 4-10 record since the start of the new year. Even though Banchero and Wagner have returned, the Magic have struggled. Maybe some of the team’s struggles have something to do with their stars regaining form. Or, they’re simply in a tough stretch, as every team experiences.
Nevertheless, Orlando has work to do to grind back up the Eastern Conference standings. If the playoffs started today, they would be a play-in team. Considering what we saw from Orlando to begin the season, they’re unquestionably better than a play-in team—certainly better than a .500 team. It may take a few more weeks, but the Magic should return to early-season form again.
