Jalen Suggs was close to returning. He could feel how close he was and could see the finish line on the quad contusion that had kept him out for the past 14 games and contributed to him missing 24 of the past 25 games.
Before Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Suggs was nearing the final checkpoints to return to play. He was playing 2-on-2 and doing defensive slides, the kind of thing that would put the most stress on his lower body.
Then he felt discomfort and swelling in his left knee. After it did not subside, he went for an MRI on Friday when the issue with the trochlea in his left knee—the groove where the patella meets the femur in the knee—was discovered.
That set everything back to zero for Suggs. He will have to restart again.
While Suggs hopes to be back before the end of the season, the reality is time is running out as the team enters the final quarter of its season.
"It's just tough to restart because I was making such good progress," Suggs said after practice Saturday. "I think it has not been a bad thing because I don't feel anger, I don't feel mad, there's no resentment or nothing. I've been doing this for the past month. All the work that I've been putting in for the past month has been meticulous, rehab-based and strengthening everything up. Really resetting my body. I was charging up for a stretch run. It's no different now. I get to charge up just not for a stretch run but for deep playoffs."
Jalen Suggs' absence
The Orlando Magic's playoff hopes have taken a hit since Jalen Suggs first went out with a low back strain on Jan. 3 in Toronto. The team has gone 8-17 and seen its defense slip to 112.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (11th in the league during that time).
The Magic were still on track to achieve their goals and earn the 4-seed when Suggs went down with his back injury.
In the week between Jalen Suggs' injury and Paolo Banchero's return, the Magic were without their three best players and started to falter. The team has not recovered its mojo since, now sitting in eighth and likely heading to the Play-In Tournament.
The playoffs were a major motivator for Suggs and this team. And it has felt like it has slipped out of their grasp.
Suggs has played just one game since then, missing 10 games with the back injury before returning for the Jan. 25 game against the Detroit Pistons.
Suggs was on a minute restriction in that game and playing hard to help the Magic to a comeback victory in the fourth quarter. But midway through the quarter, he limped off the floor with what the team described as a quad contusion.
Suggs struggled to return from that.
A league source said he had it examined several times including by MRI. But Suggs said the bruise was in a tricky spot and it took its time to heal. He was close to making his return before this setback developed and set him back to zero.
"My heart hurt for him," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Saturday's game. "You feel for a young man that continues to work and how much a part of this team he is and how much he is needed. But him on his journey and what he's been through, they hit the young man first more than it is about the basketball side of it."
Suggs was in the middle of a career season.
He averaged 16.2 points per game as he had to take on more of a scoring role with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's injury. He nearly willed the team into the NBA Cup semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, a game where he put everything on the line and still came up frustratingly short.
The Magic's heart and soul
Jalen Suggs has been the Orlando Magic's heart and soul. The team has found it difficult to replace him.
But injuries have been a part of Suggs' story throughout his career. He has played 35 games this season, which would be a career low, and he has played more than 60 games just once—during last season's playoff run.
He has embraced the challenge in the recovery process, crediting slowing himself down with his maturation as a young man and his calm and presence when he is on the court. He feels it has made him a better player and person.
Suggs is used to the start and stop of injury recovery. That will help him get through this. His new contract gives him peace of mind that the team is as invested in his future as they are his present.
But it is not easy for someone who is so determined to play.
"The hardest thing has been not being able to be present and out there with everybody, not being able to truly interact with the crowd and the fans and be part of what we're doing," Suggs said after Saturday's practice. "The reality is in that point of the season where we're figuring things out and where we're putting things together, it's hard seeing the guys go through that and only being able to watch from the side. I don't have any physical stake in the game. Everything has to be with words when typically I like to lead with action."
This is a fairly minor injury, as frustrating as the wait has been.
He said he does not have to look too far to see a teammate going through a long-term injury—Moe Wagner was back on the court taking set shots Saturday after surgery to repair a torn ACL in early January.
Suggs has been through these injuries before, dealing with a hand injury his rookie year and various other injuries that have kept him out for an extended period. Jamahl Mosley said Jalen Suggs has always found perspective to pour into his teammates and stay positive despite the frustration.
Still, the hard part for Suggs has been having to sit back and watch. He was eager to return this time around and thought he might be able to push to return at the All-Star break. He fell short of that even before this setback.
Suggs said he still hopes to play before the end of the season. But surgery remains an option to help with the recovery process (a simple arthroscopic surgery is sometimes required for this type of injury) and would likely end his season.
Suggs is shooting for a return before the playoffs. But he said that kind of goal helps him see the bigger picture and motivates him. But his near future is still up in the air.
While the Magic are working to finish their season, Suggs will be starting over and hoping to get his chance to contribute.
But Suggs has to reset and start again. The long, familiar journey for him begins again.