Is Jalen Suggs all right? This is a question that may have gone through the minds of attendees at the Kia Center as the Magic-OKC matchup continued. For the most part, the 23-year-old has been consistent with his appearances this season. He had played in 27 of his team’s 29 games, putting up scores that made him the 2nd highest-average scorer of this season. So, any prolonged absence would do the Orlando Magic no good. From the looks of things, however, that might be where the situation seems to be heading towards.

Jalen Suggs was seen heading back to the locker room as 1:36 minutes remained in the second quarter. Per reports, he had sustained a left ankle injury. After all, the player went down, visibly in pain, and grabbed his lower left leg. Fortunately, his condition does not seem to be bad enough, for now, to rule him out of the game entirely! After all, nothing else would have convinced Jamahl Mosley to actually say, “We’re gonna see how it looks. He’s limping a little bit. I wanna make sure he’s okay to go back in.”

Sure enough, Suggs was later spotted getting shots up at halftime. He got the thumbs-up to start the third quarter and went on to conclude the game by registering a total of 17 minutes while scoring 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Unfortunately, the matchup concluded with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking the win by a 105-99 score. This loss is now the Magic squad’s 3rd consecutive one.

Initially, as Jalen Suggs sat on the bench, NBA on TNT revealed details of a conversation he had with Mosley. The player kept insisting that he was all right, and wanted to continue playing. Even after sustaining a left ankle ailment. However, by reportedly stating, “You’re OUT”, the head coach made it clear that he wanted to see Suggs get back to the bench. Later, spectators saw the player wearing double wraps on both his legs, giving his ankle enough rest before he eventually returned to the court.

Amidst a season filled with major players sustaining injuries early on, Jalen Suggs had initially avoided getting injured. That changed in late November. He had sustained a sore left hamstring when competing against the Pistons. He had to leave that game early and also didn’t play in the next game against the Hornets. Therefore, the starter has already missed out on a few games. This gives the Orlando Magic management an idea about how to proceed forward if the complications from the recent injury turn serious.

How can the Orlando Magic go forward without Jalen Suggs?

According to CBS Sports, Anthony Black and Cole Anthony would’ve received increased responsibilities if Jalen Suggs had not returned. Being the backup point guard and shooting guard respectively, they will probably pick the slack if Suggs is sidelined again.

Anthony Black may be the secondary point guard on the Orlando Magic’s starting lineup. However, he is also the 5th highest-average scorer for the team this season. In his 29 appearances, he has started once and averaged 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, while clocking 24.3 minutes on the court.

Meanwhile, in 26 games, Cole Anthony averaged 11 minutes along with 5.1 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Both of them aren’t close to matching Jalen Suggs’ 16.3 points per game. However, they may manage to cover for him, at least for a couple of games.

With a 17-12 record, and occupying the 4th seed in the East, the last thing the Orlando Magic would want is to lose a starter. Therefore, the earlier Jalen Suggs returns to the NBA court, the better. What do you think?