The Orlando Magic have officially ruled guard Jalen Suggs out for the season following surgery.
The 4th year player, who has been out of the lineup since January with knee issues, recently had arthroscopic surgery to remove damaged cartilage from his left knee. Suggs’ recovery timeline was initially regarded as indefinite, but the team announced on Tuesday, March 4th, that he will be out for the remainder of the season.
The Magic, who have lost four of their last five games and are on a three-game losing streak, are currently sitting in the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference standings but are half a game from falling to the ninth. Orlando has forwards Paulo Banchero and Franz Wagner, but Suggs was the team’s best point-of-attack defender and starting point guard.
The impact of Suggs’ injury goes beyond the playoff implications, as Suggs won’t meet the minimum game threshold for NBA awards. With the league adopting a 65-game minimum in 2024 to avoid load management, Suggs will miss out on what would’ve been a likely second-straight year as an All-NBA Defense Team member.
Suggs’ injury is one of many announced today, as Dallas Mavericks stars Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis have been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL and adductor strain, respectively. Injuries have plagued the NBA this season, with notable names like Joel Embiid, Paul George, Victor Wembanyama, and other stars missing significant time.
As the NBA season draws to a close, teams around the league will consider the future, whether they can make a playoff push or need to regroup for the offseason. The Orlando Magic find themselves in a spot where they can still play competitive basketball. They likely won’t be a top-six seed in the East, but they can’t lose enough games to put themselves firmly in the NBA draft lottery unless they lose in the Play-In tournament. If the Magic win in the Play-In, they likely have a matchup with either the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics.
Though the post-season is likely to end in disappointment, the Orlando Magic have a bright future behind their young stars in Wagner, Banchero, and the now sidelined Suggs. With Suggs on track for a full recovery, the team is young enough to get healthy and return for a playoff run in the 2025-26 season.
The Orlando Magic will host the Toronto Raptors for the second straight time on March 4th.
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