Before the All-Star break, Jalen Suggs' return seemed to be imminent or at least making progress.
He was seemingly doing everything at shootaround but the contact portions of practice. When the media came in for practices he was along the wall doing the team's post-practice grounding exercises. He would then go into his own shooting routine.
It was something small, but it was something visible. It was at least showing the press where he was at. The belief was that the time off for All-Star weekend would finish the process and bring him back during this homestand.
Suggs was still routinely listed as DOUBTFUL with a left quad contusion. That at least signaled some hope he might play.
Since returning from the All-Star break though, Suggs' presence at practice and shootaround has happened behind closed doors away from the media's eyes. He did not make the trip to Atlanta for the first game after the break so he could continue working at the AdventHealth Training Center.
But he remained listed as OUT with the quad contusion in the two games since.
There has not been any official change to his status since. Suggs was ruled OUT for Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the initial injury report Monday, stating early he would miss his 13th straight game and 23rd in the last 24 games after missing time in early January with a low back strain.
Jalen Suggs has now missed more games in this short period than Franz Wagner did for his torn right oblique. It means all three of the Magic's main players have missed at least 20 games.
And Mosley has begun speaking about Suggs and needing to protect him for his long-term future, hinting at least how the organization is viewing the rest of the season as something of a wash knowing they are in this for the long haul with this key player.
There is a lot going on with what seemed like a simple quad contusion. The Magic are balancing the value of rushing him back for this season with ensuring his health for the life of his upcoming extension.
All the while, Suggs is still struggling to get over the hump in his recovery it would seem.
"It's a constant collaboration and constant communication about what they're seeing, what's done, the body of work that's needed, how far we can push, what more we can do," Mosley said after shootaround before Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. "We're not leaving any stone unturned. We're trying to find a reason to see how he is but also knowing it's very important that we look at the long-term as well and make sure he is full-go when he steps on that court for us."
Mosley said Suggs continues to do some running but has not started contact drills yet. His progress from an injury that Jeff Weltman said was expected to be a short-term injury when he spoke with Mike Bianchi of Open Mike after the trade deadline has continued to drag on.
So much so that Mosley has already said Suggs will be on a minute restriction as he ramps back into playing. The absence has lasted that long.
The Magic have certainly had some difficulty trying to replace Suggs. The team is second in the league with a 108.3 defensive rating this season. But since Suggs' injury on Jan. 3, the Magic are seventh at 111.4 points allowed per 100 possessions.
The Magic have a 104.8 defensive rating with Suggs on the floor (behind only Wagner on the team) and 109.1 with him off the floor (again only behind Wagner). He has been critical to the team's defense in every way.
Orlando has missed him, going 8-15 since his injury on Jan. 3.
"I think his energy. I think he sets the tone for us defensively and creates a lot of easy baskets for us that way," Wagner said after shootaround Tuesday. "I think sometimes in the game when we have a lull his energy is what gets us back in the game."
Still, all the Magic can do is be patient.
All the Magic have said is that he has a quad contusion. It may just be that it is not responding to treatment and Suggs has not felt comfortable enough to graduate to the next phase of his recovery.
Mosley said he does not believe the issue remains with his back or the low back strain he returned from for one game against the Detroit Pistons before suffering the quad contusion and leaving in the fourth quarter.
Mosley reminded the media asking about Suggs' status that everyone is different and recovers differently—that is often where Mosley deflects questions toward since he is powerless to speed the process up. All the team can do is wait for him to clear the next step and take further steps toward the court. That is just not happening right now.
"Everybody is different in how they respond to treatment, how they respond to the work that they've done that day," Mosley said after shootaround Tuesday. "You really have to go off their body of work. How does he feel in those moments and what can he push through? Where is the pain tolerance in a lot of ways? You have to have great lines of communication with our guys and see how they feel after responding to what has happened."
If there is one thing everyone knows about Suggs, it is that he will play through just about anything. If he is not playing, he either must not be feeling good or the Magic must be protecting him from his own desire to play.
Everyone is waiting then. They are not in the place to rush him and put him back on the court with a chance to reaggravate the injury or cause injuries elsewhere.
They are taking their time and hoping that he can clear those hurdles and return soon.