One of the NBA’s top defenders at the guard position may have played his final possession of the 2024-25 season.
The Orlando Magic announced on Friday that guard Jalen Suggs has been diagnosed with a trochlea injury in his left knee. Suggs will now be sidelined indefinitely as a result, the team adds.
The 23-year-old Suggs has been limited to just 35 of 61 games for the Magic this season due to various injuries. He went down in early January with a back issue, returned for one game later that month, and has since been out for another full month due to a quad issue.
Orlando’s release notes that Suggs was experiencing discomfort during his return to play activities and underwent additional evaluation and imaging to get to the root cause. The MRI results then ultimately revealed the trochlea injury diagnosis.
Suggs, the former Gonzaga star, was the No. 5 overall pick by the Magic in 2021. He made the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team last season and was posting career-high numbers this season with 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
How much time Suggs ultimately misses will obviously depend on the severity of his trochlea injury. But the Magic only have about six weeks left in the regular season, so it is very possible that Suggs might be done for the year. At 29-32 overall (No. 7 in the East), Orlando seems to only possess play-in tournament upside this season, and they may have the extended litany of injuries that they have suffered to blame.
