Magic guard Jalen Suggs left Friday’s preseason game against Dallas in the first quarter after suffering what appears to be a left knee injury. Suggs’ knee appeared to buckle and hyperextend after being shoved by Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
Suggs was on the ground for a while after the play holding his left knee and was helped to the locker room with assistance. Hopefully the injury was just a hyperextension and Suggs will be able to return to action sooner rather than later, but it certainly didn’t look good.
The 21-year-old was the fifth overall pick of last year’s draft after starring in college for Gonzaga. His 2021-22 rookie season was unfortunately plagued by injuries. Suggs suffered a fractured right thumb last November that caused him to miss 20 games, dealt with a right ankle sprain and a right ankle bone bruise in the second half of the season, then underwent right ankle surgery to repair a “slight” stress fracture in April.
Perhaps due in part to the injury-disrupted nature of his season, Suggs struggled in his pro debut, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists with a subpar .361/.214/.773 shooting line in 48 games (27.2 MPG). Still, he was a highly touted prospect and Orlando is certainly hoping for big things from the athletic combo guard.
The Magic announced that Suggs suffered a “lower left leg injury” and won’t return to the contest. He will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury.
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