Jalen Suggs and the Orlando Magic can breathe a bit easier.
Suggs has a sprained left knee capsule and bone bruise, but his collision with Dallas' Dorian Finney-Smith during the Magic-Mavericks preseason game Friday night did not lead to more serious injuries.
The Magic announced the results of Suggs' MRI on Saturday morning, saying his return to play “will depend on how he responds to treatment."
“He's worked his tail off and he's going to continue to work his tail off," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That's what we can depend on for him."
Suggs got hurt on a play where he was fouled by Dallas' Spencer Dinwiddie and collided into Finney-Smith, immediately grabbing at his left knee. He had checked into the game only 1:38 earlier.
The No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft out of Gonzaga missed 34 games last season, mostly because of thumb and ankle injuries, but finished his rookie year with averages of 11.8 points and 4.4 assists.
He joins a lengthy list of Magic players currently sidelined, including 2017 No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz (fractured left big toe), guard Gary Harris (left knee meniscectomy recovery), forward Admiral Schofield (bruised left knee) and forward Jonathan Isaac — who hasn't played since 2020 because of ongoing left knee injury recovery.
Orlando has two preseason games left, both at home, against Memphis on Tuesday and Cleveland on Friday. The Magic open the regular season at Detroit on Oct. 19.
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Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
