Jalen Suggs' Knee Surgery Is a Success; How Do Magic Contend Without Him?

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee, Magic on SI learned Tuesday.

The procedure also involved a mosaicplasty — a transplant of tissue harvested from a less-demanding area of the knee to cover a cartilage defect in a more important area — to repair the joint.

Suggs is expected to make a full recovery, but he will be out for the remainder of the season, including postseason.

"Obviously, it's super tough for the team but [also] for Jalen most importantly," Franz Wagner said at the Magic's Tuesday shootaround. "We just want to be there for him, and we know that he loves to hoop and wants to be back out there. Rehab isn't easy, so unfortunately that's part of it."

"You're grateful that it was a successful surgery," coach Jamahl Mosley said. "On top of that, you're just happy that he's made it through, but you talk about being able to pour into him more once he returns with us and he's around us. I think those are the most important keys for us moving forward. "

"We knew something was going on, but it's just tough to find out that you're going to be missing a guy ... for the rest of the season," Anthony Black said. "Tough on all the guys. A lot of us talked to him before he got the surgery. He's in our prayers and we're going to go hard for him."

The injury occurred Jan. 25 against the Detroit Pistons when Suggs limped off the court in the fourth quarter. The first diagnosis was a sore left knee, then a left quad contusion. On Saturday, Suggs said that he felt discomfort after a workout prior to the Magic's Feb. 25 game with Cleveland.

Further evaluation revealed the trochlea cartilage injury.

"It's the nature of the NBA," Black said of how the Magic dealt with the uncertainty of Suggs' potential return. "You've got to get healthy. You can't be out there risking your health, so we fully understood that and we're with him the whole way. Obviously, we wanted him back, but we were supporting whatever it was."

The season for Suggs ends after 35 games — the fewest in his four seasons. In 28.6 minutes per game, he averaged a career-high 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals.

Because of injuries to Paolo Banchero and Wagner earlier in the year, the Magic's core trio played together for just 97 minutes in six games this season. Orlando won four of those six contests.

The Magic were 20-15 in games that Suggs played in and are 9-18 in the 27 games without him.

They are 29-33, eighth in the Eastern Conference.

How the Magic plan to adjust in Jalen Suggs' absence

Up until now, this weekend, there had been uncertainty regarding whether Suggs would make an eventual return this season. While acknowledging the difficulty of the situation, Wagner said that the latest news on Suggs can now allow individual players to settle into roles for the rest of the season.

"It's not just one person that has to step up in all of the things that Jalen is really good at," Wagner said. "Obviously, guard play is really important. Whether that's AB (Anthony Black), Cole (Anthony) or Co-Jo (Cory Joseph) when he comes in, that we make sure everyone is organized. And then Paolo and myself as well, taking some of that role as well.

"I think it's a good challenge for the team, because missing Jalen is a huge part and we're missing him a lot. Hopefully we can get better from it."

Sans Suggs, the Magic have been playing without an All-NBA defender who greets opponents at the point of attack. Offensively, he helped to push the pace in transition and had evolved into a viable third option alongside Banchero and Wagner. While not a primary playmaker by trade, he helped to alleviate the weight the frontcourt star duo bore.

Both Black and Cole Anthony have made starts in Suggs' vacancy, with Anthony making 18 of the starts.

When asked how the injury to Suggs might adjust his role, Black said he wasn't yet sure if he'd be taking on a bigger role.

"I don't know, man. It's pretty game-by-game," the second-year guard said. "I just try to stay ready and do what we need to do each day. But if that's what it is, I'll be ready."

With 20 games remaining, Mosley echoed that same sentiment. Shell-shocked by injury and facing mounting frustration of a season gone awry, Orlando can only afford to focus on the next opportunity.

"I think it's going to be a lot of game-by-game," Mosley said. "I think it's going to be by-committee. We talk about the offense and defense being by-committee, and that's a big portion of it. It's going to be different handlers at different times of the game.

"If we realize a team is fully aggressive, picking our point guard up, then we might have to play through our bigs ... those guys being able to handle the basketball and get us into easier sets," Mosley added. "If they're not pressuring Paolo and Franz, those guys become our point-forward playmakers. I think that's going to be a big key, and that's also going to vary game-to-game as well."

Up Next

Orlando hosts the Raptors at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at the Kia Center.

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How the Magic plan to adjust in Jalen Suggs' absence

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