Coach Jamahl Mosley often describes Jalen Suggs as the "head of the snake" of the Orlando Magic's hounding defense.
In so many ways, the team has taken on his personality. Magic basketball is defined as a physical, aggressive defense and a high-energy, high-competitive-spirit offensive gameplan.
That is who Suggs is one way or the other. He spearheads the defense with his tireless energy and effort. He is a selfless player who is a surprisingly effective catch-and-shoot option who rarely forces things even if he can be an overeager driver.
The Magic have not been whole all season. But even with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner back in the lineup, something has been missing from this team. They do not quite feel like that Magic team.
That something is clearly Suggs. They have struggled in the 20 games he has missed since injuring his back in Toronto on Jan. 3. Suggs is simply irreplaceable.
"It seems a bit more easier and flow when he's back," Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said after practice Wednesday. "As far as defensive-wise, that's where we miss him the most. The way he puts heat on the ball, the energy he brings. Everyone feeds off that. Just having him come back as soon as possible will be great for us and it's going to complete our team."
The Magic will have to continue to wait for Suggs' return. The Magic ruled him out for Thursday's game in Atlanta, the first game after the All-Star Break. He will miss his 20th game in the team's last 21 outings and Suggs' 10th straight missed game with what the team has termed a left quad contusion.
Mosley said Suggs went through running and non-contact portions in practice in each of the last two days. But that does not make him any closer to returning.
While a contusion does not sound like a serious injury, it is something that recovers differently for every player.
The Magic, it seems, are trying to listen to how Suggs responds to treatment and what he is able to do in practice and ensure he is with the team for the long haul and for those critical games at the end of the season and in the postseason.
"I really do believe and we've said it before with Franz out with his oblique and Paolo out with his oblique, I think you look at those as two different bodies with the same injury but recovering differently. I think it's similar with Jalen," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Wednesday. "Everybody responds to treatment and everybody responds to different injuries differently. Everybody is different.
"You want to treat it as such and not the rush a process of getting him fully whole just to squeak back in and not be 100 percent on the court because he is trying to push through things. I think it's so important that we get him back fully healthy where there is no nagging pain as we go through it."
There is still no denying how much the team has missed Suggs. And there is simply no one the team that brings his energy and intensity.
The Magic have struggled without Suggs
Orlando has gone 6-14 since Suggs suffered a low back strain in the win over the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 3.
The team has seen its vaunted defense slip too. The Magic were third in the league with a 106.4 defensive rating through the Jan. 3 game when Suggs initially got injured. Since Jan. 4, however, the Magic are 10th in the league with a 112.9 defensive rating.
That would typically be enough to keep a team afloat. But with Orlando's offensive struggles, including missing Suggs and his 16.2 points per game as one of only four players averaging double figures for the Magic, merely an above-average defense is not good enough to win most nights.
Orlando has a 104.3 offensive rating since Suggs' initial injury and the second-worst net rating in the league at -8.4 points per 100 possessions.
Mosley has been clear that not all of the team's shortcomings on either end and especially defense should fall on Suggs. The team got Banchero and Wagner back from injury in the meantime and both have needed some time to get themselves back into rhythm.
Suggs, Banchero and Wagner have played only 97 minutes and six games together this season. The Magic have not been whole.
But the one game they have played together since Banchero and Wagner returned from injury was a major statement. The Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 121-113 with Wagner scoring 25 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and Banchero matching him with 32 of his own.
The Magic opted to keep their star trio on the floor to start the fourth quarter and they outscored the Pistons by 16 points in the 4:20 Suggs played in the quarter. Then Suggs suffered the quad contusion and has been out of the lineup ever since.
The Magic can see and feel how important Suggs is to this team. There is truly no one like him and they know they need him for the stretch run.
"I really do believe getting it right is the most important thing," Mosley said after practice Wednesday. "I understand there is a timeline. We all get that. But also the longevity of this young man and his career is also very important. To make sure we're not rushing something back that's not all the way right. I think that's very important that we continue to stay on the same page when it comes to that."
The Magic will start to run into the wall that is the end of the season at some point. For now, Orlando is remaining patient and hoping Suggs has a breakthrough to respond to treatment and feel well enough to break through.
The last six weeks without Suggs has only highlighted how vital he is to the team.
Right now, there is no one else who could lift and push the Magic up the standings quite like Suggs and his return.