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Magic react to Jalen Suggs’ return following 20-game absence

cody taylor
·4 min read
Magic react to Jalen Suggs’ return following 20-game absence

On Friday, Jalen Suggs produced 12 points in his first game back following a lengthy absence to lead the Orlando Magic to a 116-109 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Suggs also contributed seven assists, six rebounds and one steal in 22 minutes of work. He converted on 5-of-8 shot attempts from the field, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, as the Magic snapped a 10-game losing streak with the win.

The fifth pick suffered a fractured right thumb on Nov. 29 versus the Philadelphia 76ers when Joel Embiid inadvertently slapped him on the hand. He had made good progress from the injury this week and was finally lifted off the injury report to play on Friday.

The opportunity to be back on the court was a great feeling for Suggs.

“It was real good,” Suggs said. “Just to be out there and to be able to have an impact has been great. Dive for loose balls, take charges, get up and down in transition, getting guys open shots and all of that. It was a great team game, from Mo (Wagner) to Franz (Wagner), R.J. (Hampton).”

Suggs had started in each of his first 21 games of the season but the Magic opted to bring him off of the bench during his return on Friday. The team did not put a minutes restriction on him but, instead, monitored him throughout the game after not playing for over a month.

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley knew for the first few minutes that Suggs would be operating on pure adrenaline. They wanted to see how he would respond after that first stint and the 20-year-old put forth a strong first contest back.

Mosley was proud of how Suggs played in the game.

I think he did a very good job. I think he was trying to defend at a high level. His ability attacking the rim was good. There were some points of patience and poise but we knew there would be that stretch where he came in and got himself going and got past that first wind. I was very proud of him down the stretch.

Suggs finished with 12 points but the energy and effort he brought to the court was likely his biggest contribution on the court. The team fed off of that energy and used it to help fuel their 28-18 run in the fourth quarter to put the Hornets away.

Suggs used the time off from playing to improve his overall game. He was still able to get work on the court and keep his conditioning level up to par through his thumb injury. Multiple players and Mosley commented that Suggs improved during his injury, including Mo Wagner.

I gotta give him a lot of credit because it is very apparent that he, as crazy as it sounds, somehow got better without having a lot of basketball reps since (the injury). He took it very serious to improve the mental game and understanding the game better. It is very apparent in practice. I was very impressed about when he was back the first game and the way he takes command of communication. It is very cool to watch that he took that time very serious.

Suggs entered the NBA draft highly touted as a tremendous competitor with a great ethic. The team greatly missed those attributes during his time away from the court, but they now have their top-five pick back as he played a key role in the Magic defeating the Hornets.

His production on Friday could be a strong indication of things to come.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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