Jalen Suggs is back on the available list for Friday’s NBA Cup game against the Bucks, ending an eight-game absence caused by a right knee bone bruise. The Magic said Suggs will be ready to play, though he is expected to come off the bench behind Anthony Black.
That matters because the Magic entered Friday at 4-7 and still had not won at home this season. Suggs had played only three games before the injury, and his return gives Orlando another option as it tries to stop the slow start that injuries have helped deepen.
The timing also matters because Suggs was not being pushed straight back into a full workload. Black had been starting in his place and produced 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals during the stretch without Suggs, while hitting 43.6% of his 3-pointers. The setup points to a cautious return rather than a clean handoff back to the old rotation.
That leaves the main unanswered piece as the game begins: how much Suggs will actually play in his first night back. The team has enough backcourt help to ease him in, with Jamal Cain and Tristan Da Silva also available, but the minutes load for Suggs will tell the real story of how quickly the Magic want him back in rhythm.
