LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- It is hard to know exactly when Jalen Suggs tapped out of Saturday's NBA Cup semifinal game. It was frankly just noteworthy that Suggs took himself out of the game because of an apparent injury.
Suggs was clearly not moving right throughout much of the second half after he scored 25 points in the opening two quarters. He took a pair of hard falls after fouls that needed a few moments for him to get up.
It appears Suggs is dealing with another injury. Something that could derail him and the Magic's season. The wear and tear of his physical, fearless style is catching up to him.
"It's the weakest part of the game and the part that sucks the most," Suggs said in the locker room after Thursday's game. "I truly tried. There is nowhere else I would have rather been than on the court and battling with my guys, especially in a close game. He has other plans, and I can't be angry with His plans."
The Orlando Magic officially diagnosed Suggs with a sore hip when they ruled him questionable to return in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game after they took a foul to remove him from the game.
The Magic are set to travel back to Orlando on Sunday afternoon and likely will not know more about the injury until they can do tests and scans on Monday.
Suggs was uninterested in talking about any of his various ailments. This is part of who he is. When he is on the floor, he expects to play and give his all for his team. There is no doubt that he did that Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
Growing list of injuries
This is not new with Jalen Suggs. The story of his career are the little nagging injuries that have stopped him at every point he has made progress.
Even this year, Suggs seemed to be dealing with little things that he could play through. The accumulation of all the injuries had finally gotten to him.
Suggs was moving gingerly in the locker room after the game, but he was on his feet and moving around.
Orlando Magic Daily saw Suggs being taken to the team's bus in a wheelchair. A league source said it was merely precautionary because of the distance between the Magic's locker room and the loading dock where the buses were located (the Magic had the furthest locker room from where players entered the arena).
They know how vital he is and appreciate his efforts to play through a lot of pain.
"He's been battling through some pain the last few games," Paolo Banchero said after Saturday's game. "He's just been giving it his all for the team and kind of playing through it. Hope it's not too bad whatever injury it is. You don't want to lose him. But he gave us a great effort in that first half. Unfortunately, he couldn't go in the second half."
Finding a way to deploy Suggs in any way they can is key to the team. They missed his intensity and physicality throughout his injury-riddled season last year. He was the only thing keeping the team afloat when Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner went down with torn obliques.
Suggs lays his heart on the line every game. And the Magic have sometimes needed to step in to protect Suggs from his hard-driving play and himself. Suggs promised even after last year's knee injury that he was not going to change the way he played.
The Magic do not want him to do.
Vital to success
Coach Jamahl Mosley often calls Jalen Suggs the head of the snake on defense. He is the one who sets the tone and intensity of the Magic's defense.
It is safe to say that Suggs is a vital component on offense too, having developed into one of the team's best catch-and-shoot players.
For the Magic to be the team they need to be, they know they will need Suggs.
It is not merely the 25 points Jalen Suggs scored in the first half to match Jalen Brunson's 25-point outburst. It is that Suggs is someone who can attack off the dribble, has developed a soft mid-range touch and can hit from three. Suggs is the one who pushes the pace faster and gets the team into transition and secondary breaks quicker than anyone else.
Suggs is averaging 15.4 points per game and shooting a still-icy 32.8 percent from three -- his home/road splits are something to behold. But Suggs shoots 40.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes, according to data from Second Spectrum. He is scoring 1.22 points per possession on catch-and-shoot jumpers overall, according to data from Synergy Sports.
Suggs is one of the best floor spacers the Magic have. and still one of their most impactful defenders.
Orlando has a 106.8 defensive rating when Suggs is on the floor, nearly six points per 100 possessions than the team's overall average. The Magic have a 116.3 offensive rating with Suggs on the floor, trailing only Anthony Black among rotation players.
It is safe to say that while Suggs is not the team's leading scorer. He is an agent for good that lifts the Magic. They know what he brings to the table.
"We know who he is and what he is about," Desmond Bane said after Saturday's game. "He wants to win more than anything. He laid it all out on the line for us."
This is why Suggs is so vital to everything the Magic do. Losing him is losing one of their main engines. And they are already without Franz Wagner.
Orlando is still growing and coming together. The team has seen and felt its potential. But the Magic have not been able to get all the pieces together at the same time.
That has not derailed their progress or their ascent. But the Magic have left a lot on the table. And it appears they may be leaving some without Suggs for a while.
The Orlando Magic, like in the loss to the New York Knicks, are still trying to get over the hump.
"We had a mindset in every cup game," Suggs said in the locker room after Saturday's loss. "We just didn't get enough stops today. We scored it well with good pace and good rhythm. We just couldn't string together the stops to go on a run and push the lead. . . . We're still growing. It's a good chance for us to come together and do something fun and get some extra cheese for our video guys and two-ways. You always want to win."
No one wants it more than Suggs. The Magic just have to find a way to get him to the Playoffs to deliver that promise.