After sitting out five games in October and November following his return from left knee surgery, then missing seven contests in December due to a left hip contusion, Magic guard Jalen Suggs exited Friday’s loss in Chicago in the third quarter after just 20 minutes of action due to what the team initially called a right knee strain, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required).
The severity of the injury isn’t yet known. Head coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters after the game that Suggs would be reevaluated when the Magic return home (Twitter link via Beede).
“He fights his tail (off) to get back with us, and then hopefully it’s not bad,” Mosley said of Suggs, who was playing in just his second game following his absence due to the hip injury.
Based on on/off-court data, Suggs has been Orlando’s most valuable player this season. His +10.1 net rating dwarfs the second-best mark on the team (**Wendell Carter Jr.**‘s +2.9), and the Magic have a -3.7 mark when he’s not on the floor. Suggs’ impact was evident again on Friday, as Orlando outscored Chicago by 15 points when he was playing but lost the game by seven.
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While Orlando awaits an update on Suggs, there may be good news for the team on a couple other injury-related fronts. As Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily relays, local color commentator Jeff Turner of FanDuel Sports Network Florida said during the pregame broadcast that Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner should both be back within the next week (Twitter video link). Franz has been out with a high left ankle sprain since December 7, while Moritz is making way back from an ACL tear that he suffered in December of 2024.
Third-year Magic guard Anthony Black is in the midst of a breakout season, averaging career highs in points (15.5), rebounds (4.1), assists (3.6), and steals (1.3) per game. Since entering the starting lineup last month, he has averaged 20.6 PPG on .472/.391/.744 shooting. Fred Katz of The Athletic takes a look at the strides Black has made on offense, examining the way the former No. 6 overall pick creates scoring opportunities by changing speeds. Black, who will turn 22 later this month, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the coming offseason.
Six Magic players have accumulated multiple technical fouls this season, led by **Desmond Bane**‘s five. After three players were hit with technicals in Wednesday’s two-point win over Indiana, Paolo Banchero and Bane were among the players who spoke about the team’s need to play with more poise, according to Beede (subscription required). “We’ve got to show a little more maturity as a whole,” Bane said. “Every guy on the roster was chirping back, asking for certain calls. Once we understand the way the game’s going to be officiated and kind of how it’s going, we just need to ride with that, instead of trying to change it or beg for something. That’s definitely something that we need to work on, and we’ll continue to get better at as the season goes on.”