Jalen Suggs does not change. Everything he does is full of energy and joy. He is someone with an infectious smile and energy. He never seems to do anything at less than 100 percent.
It is always noticeable when Suggs must slow down or take a step back. And it is always alarming when the team must slow him down. Suggs will play his way through almost everything. That is just how he is wired.
Suggs is still working his way back from a left quad contusion—what everyone seems to understand as a bruise. Fans are asking why it is taking so long for him to return from such a seemingly minor injury.
But based on what the media have been able to watch, Suggs is still feeling the effects of that injury. He has not at least been seen doing any movement shooting. Even when he lands on his jumper, he seems to avoid making too much contact on that left leg.
Perhaps that is a training method to ease impact or strengthen one side. But one thing is clear:
The Magic are not rushing Suggs back. They know that when he returns, Suggs will be all out at all times and they know how vital he is to the team's hopes of sneaking back into the 6-seed and avoiding the Play-In.
So the word has been patience. From everybody.
The Magic want Suggs available for the long haul of these final 26 games. And that may mean waiting a bit longer for him to work his way back from this particular injury.
"Starting and stopping is always hard," Jalen Suggs said before Monday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. "During the season all you want to do is play games. Whatever you want to do to be available to get out in front of fans and hostile environments and make plays in games and feel like you are contributing to winning. I think that's been the hardest part about it. When things are taken away from you, it always opens up a new door and new perpsective and a new challenge to take on. That's all this has been."
Growing list of injuries
Jalen Suggs has had to sit and wait for a while.
He suffered a low back strain on Jan. 3 against the Toronto Raptors, needing a wheelchair to leave the court. He missed 10 games recovering from the back injury.
He returned for the game against the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 25. But he left the game early in the fourth quarter after appearing to bang knees with another player. He has missed the nine games since.
It has been frustrating, to say the least. Orlando has played only six games and 96 minutes with its top trio of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs together. With Banchero and Wagner back together—the duo combined for more than 60 points in that win over the Pistons—the Magic hoped this would help them get back on track.
Instead, Suggs' injury has taken away part of the team's special identity on defense. Orlando has not been complete since opening night in reality. It has made it hard to evaluate the season.
Having gone 3-6 in those games and seeing the team's defensive rating drop from a season average of 108.7 points per 100 possessions to 112.5 points per 100 possessions, Suggs' absence has been felt.
Coach Jamahl Mosley does not want to pin all of the team's defensive struggles in the last few weeks of Jalen Suggs' absence. The team has filled in part of its defense—the Magic rank ninth in the league in defensive rating since Suggs' quad injury.
But the team has missed a spark during some of these losses. The defense is not as sharp and energetic. They have had to fill in for injured players throughout the season. This one has been trickier to fill in because his contributions are so intangible.
The Magic need Suggs back.
"This is for the long haul," Mosley said before Monday's game against the Hawks. "I think that's very important that we get that addressed right away. We're doing what we're doing and it's allowing other guys to step up in these moments. As he gets back and gets integrated into what we're doing, it's going to be so important that we're very mindful about how we continue to approach it."
Mosley said Suggs is still doing non-contact drills. He is consistently testing out his leg to see how it feels. The goal is for him to feel good enough in consecutive days to do more and work his way back onto the court.
The All-Star Break will provide more time to try to get him healthy. Fans hope he will be available to play when the team resumes practice Tuesday and resumes games Thursday in Atlanta.
Mosley said Suggs will be on a minute restriction and go through a process to integrate back into the team. The Magic want to make sure he will not have any setbacks considering how vital the last 26 games are.
The Orlando Magic find itself in a tight playoff race, leading the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat by 0.5 game for the Southeast Division lead and 7-seed for the Play-In Tournament and trailing the Detroit Pistons by 2.5 games for sixth in the East.
There is still the chance to make up ground. Suggs will be vital to those efforts.
"Part of growth is learning how to maneuver through an NBA season and do things smartly," Suggs said before Monday's game. "You can't always with straight force bust through walls. Sometimes you have to be very smart and very cerebral about how you go about things. That's a skill I'm trying to practice. This gives me an opportunity to do so in real-time. Not an ideal situation, not where I want to be. I'll take it and take the challenge head-on. I'll come back when things are healthy and 100 percent and help this team and not be a shell of myself."
Back in the recovery process
Jalen Suggs has been through the process of being injured before. His career to this point has seemingly been taking one step forward and then two steps back with injuries.
He played only 48 and 53 games in his first two seasons thanks to various injuries. He played 75 last year and made the All-Defensive second team.
With 35 games under his belt this year, the most games he can play is 61. Injuries have been part of his story and something he must still learn to manage.
But Suggs said he has learned from those injuries. Part of his breakthrough last year was learning to calm himself and live in the moment more.
He is still feeling those frustrations of sitting out. But he is more focused on staying ready and learning while he is out.
"All the same thoughts creep into your head whenever you get hurt," Suggs said before Monday's game. "But I think my past experiences have helped me move on from that a bit quicker. Instead of lingering for weeks, it lingers for a couple of days and then the next task is ready to be accomplished. My mind is less feeling sorry for myself and frustrated bout the injury and more so how can I get back to work, however that looks. Sometimes it's not as physical as it is mental and I have to be OK with that."
Suggs is still working to get his way back. The Magic have not revealed publicly how close he might be. He could be back after the All-Star Break, or it might take more time for him to return.
Orlando is trying to bring him back not only at a place where he can play but where he will be available for the rest of the season. The team will clearly need him the rest of the way.