There's no denying that when Jalen Suggs is healthy, he's one of the Orlando Magic's most impactful players, though it remains uncertain if he’ll be fully ready for training camp in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately for Suggs, throughout his four seasons in the league, injuries have continued to plague him, and he's only had one fully healthy season. After a career year in 2023-24, Suggs was rewarded with a five-year $150.5 million contract that will now be kicking in this season.
Expectations were high for Suggs and the Magic collectively as a whole going into last season before injuries derailed this team. For Suggs, he only appeared in 35 games and ended up having arthroscopic surgery in early March to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee.
Jalen Suggs on his rehab
In a recent episode of the "Sixth Man Show," Jalen Suggs was a featured guest, and one of the questions was about how his recovery from his surgery has been and if he believes he will be ready by training camp.
Suggs gave a very detailed, transparent, and honest answer about his recovery process and how difficult this challenge has been for him this summer. Suggs gave an encouraging answer but also left the door open to be cautiously optimistic going forward.
“I’m feeling really good. The knee has been a process. I’ve loved the growth, I’ve loved all that this summer has had in store for me," Suggs said. "This is definitely the hardest summer that I’ve had so far. I’ve had injuries and experienced the rehab process in my own right, but I don’t know, this has been a little different."
Suggs added: "Just every day and hammering away at it...But I’m feeling good. I’m feeling healthy, feeling strong. The rest of my body feels amazing. I really have gotten the time to work on all of it. I think this is the best my upper body has felt in terms of look, of functional strength. So, it’s been great. Camp and the return will come in time, in [God’s] time, but our process is really working and I love the spot that we’re in right now.”
For Magic fans, this should be an encouraging sign from Suggs, who is clearly making progress in his recovery and getting back to full strength. But on the flipside, Suggs didn't give a firm answer on the status of his health and leaves room for doubt about his availability going forward.
Team construction
If Suggs isn't fully healthy by the start of training camp and even the beginning of the regular season, fans shouldn't go into panic mode. Orlando did a terrific job this offseason, bringing in more depth to the backcourt with guys like Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, and Jase Richardson, so the Magic will have bodies ready to go if Suggs can't.
Even if Suggs is close to healthy, but not fully there, the Magic should not rush him back to the court. Suggs is an all-world defender who's aggressive and plays hard-nosed, and they need him to be fully healthy if they're going to make any run this upcoming season.
Jalen Suggs may not be the best player on the Orlando Magic, but he sure is the most impactful one, and if Orlando wants any shot of making a deep postseason run, they're going to need Suggs to be healthy and playing his best.