Orlando Magic fans could only hold their breath in the final moments of Sunday's win over the New York Knicks.
What looked like a celebratory finish to the game with Jalen Suggs on the ball on a 2-on-1 fast break ended in what felt like a catastrophe.
Suggs went up for a layup and almost immediately halted his jump, collapsing to the court and holding his right knee. It was the kind of non-contact injury that everyone always fears. That everyone always believes could be the worst.
With the injury news the Magic got earlier in the weekend on Paolo Banchero -- a low-grade high ankle sprain that will keep him out at least four weeks -- the Magic were already dealing with an increased injury list. Noah Penda was already out with a partially torn hamstring. Jonathan Isaac was dealing with the knee issue that ended his season.
Suggs missing significant time was not something the Magic could afford.
Monday afternoon brought a sigh of relief.
The Magic announced that after an MRI, Suggs was diagnosed with a mild right knee bone bruise. There was no structural damage. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Suggs will certainly be out for longer than those two weeks. But it is certainly much better than the alternative of Suggs being out.
After a first week of frustration on and off the court. This is a silver lining to some bad news.
The Magic will take any good injury news
The Orlando Magic have had the worst luck with injuries during the last few seasons. So much of the Magic's inactivity in the offseason was based on the belief that all the team needed was to be healthy.
That illusion was shattered very quickly.
Anthony Black missed all of training camp and the preseason with a sprained ankle he suffered during voluntary workouts in September. He just returned after missing the first two games of the season.
Jonathan Isaac did not participate in training camp and preseason dealing with the remnants of the sprained knee that cost him the end of last season. He is nearing his return and ramping up.
Noah Penda suffered a partially torn hamstring in the team's final preseason game. He is expected to be out until around early- or mid-December.
Paolo Banchero left Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with what was diagnosed as a low-grade right high ankle sprain. That will leave Banchero out for at least a month.
Suggs' injury only adds to this already long injury report filled with key rotation players.
The Magic hoped to get a clearer picture of their team with a healthy roster. That idea has been thrown out the window just three games into the season.
Suggs obviously has a big role to play for the Magic.
He was their plus/minus king last year, posting a team-best +5.2 net rating with him on the floor. The Magic had a 108.4 defensive rating with Suggs on the floor, more than 5.0 points per 100 possessions better than the team's average.
Suggs had gotten off to a slow start this year. He is averaging 8.0 points per game and shooting 10 for 28 from the floor and 1 for 9 from three.
Even his plus/minus has not looked great. The Magic have a -8.3 net rating with Suggs on the floor this year.
It has been an odd start for everybody. The Magic were hoping that with time and repetitions with their new coach, they would start to get into shape.
All of that is put on hold. Now the team is just trying to hold the boat steady.
Prognosis for return
The good news now is that none of these injuries appear to be long-term injuries.
Unlike last year where Franz Wagner was limited to 34 games and missed nearly the entirety of the final four months of the season -- including two false starts in his return -- these injuries do not seem to be major. Even though Paolo Banchero also has a high ankle sprain, his does not seem as serious.
Banchero seemed optimistic that he would return after about four weeks. Noah Penda seems to be a little more active, and the injury does not seem as serious as it sounds.
Anthony Black finally made his return on Sunday in the win over the New York Knicks.
And now Jalen Suggs' news is certainly good. It will take two weeks for him to be re-evaluated. Then he can begin ramping back up. It may end up being another week or two beyond that. The Magic will just have to be patient while all these players return.
Orlando does tend to bring players back slowly. The Magic are still thinking long term. And Suggs, while having a massive injury history, tends be willing to come back quickly.
It is all a waiting game.
All the team can do is hope to get healthy and be peaking as the season progresses. This will slow the team's progress of getting on the floor and getting all those pieces together. But there is nothing the team can do but hope that day comes sooner than later.
At least, the Magic have good news that the wait will not be too long.
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