Thursday marked 264 days since Jalen Suggs suited up to take the court in an NBA game. That’s how long it’s been since he last played Jan. 25 at home against the Pistons before his season took a turn for the worse.
Although Suggs knew he wasn’t playing in Orlando’s preseason finale at Kia Center against the Pelicans, the Magic guard wanted to know what it felt like again to go through his pre-game routine and wear his uniform just like the rest of his teammates.
As he put it, the process, that was once the minutiae of life in the league, was beginning to feel foreign to him.
“I want to mentally feel like I’m preparing to sub in a game so that once the time comes, because it has been so long, there’s no extra emotion that I’m carrying over from putting a uniform on,” Suggs told the Orlando Sentinel and OrlandoMagicDaily.com in the locker room before Thursday’s preseason contest. “This is a great day, really, to just get adjusted to the space, to the new environment [and] our new arena, and really immerse myself here and watch the boys get a win.”
“The boys,” as Suggs referred to his teammates, got a win over New Orleans, 132-125, when the Magic wrapped up the preseason 4-0 with Franz Wagner (24 points) and Paolo Banchero (19) leading the way for coach Jamahl Mosley‘s squad.
It’s unclear exactly when Suggs, who is recovering from a left knee trochlea cartilage tear suffered last season, will be able to join Orlando in live game action.
Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said at the team’s media day Sept. 29 the franchise was targeting opening night — next Wednesday against the Heat — for Suggs, but the Magic guard Thursday didn’t provide an updated expectation for when he’d return.
What Suggs did share, however, was that when he is back, he can rely on the work he put in the offseason to get right again.
“Everything that’s been worked on, in terms of my body, this summer gives me a lot of confidence in doing that, not having to come out and second guess or change anything,” he said. “We’ve done everything we needed to and checked every box, which is nice, and none of it has been rushed.”
Mosley said Thursday morning Suggs “responded well” to the limited contact work he did in practice this week. That included some 3-on-3 drills, as opposed to full 5-on-5, after Suggs previously only took part in individual non-contact work this preseason.
“To be in the mix fully and be a part of that has been fun lately,” Suggs said. “I’m really just trying to keep an open mind, pick up things as we’re going along, continue to find flow with Desmond (Bane) and the rest of the five just because it’s been so long since I’ve seen that setting, but it’s been great.
“The fact we get to be home for this last stretch of the preseason and through the first couple games of the regular season, really is nice for me to stack up some few great weeks before we get rolling,” he added. “I’m feeling great mentally, physically in a good space.”
Suggs said one of the last hurdles that remains is the ability to fully stop while moving at full speed.
“It’s really just that — being explosive and stopping out of explosiveness, which are just things you need to protect yourself out there,” he said. “Once we got all that established, the hardest part has just been watching everybody else hoop, to be honest. Harder than letting everything else coming together physically.
“So, a ton of mental reps,” he added. “I feel like that’s helped me slow down. It’s helped given me a whole other perspective on the game [and] myself, but I’m ready to get back to feeling things in the moment and being out on the floor.”
In the interim, Suggs said he’s remained engaged and on the same page as his teammates by making a concerted effort to be actively present in practice, scrimmages and the four preseason contests. He’s used his voice from the sidelines to help out and has focused on being attentive to the team’s work.
“I feel like that’s another leap in going from good to great, is detailing your work and detailing all the things you’re doing to prepare when it comes on the floor,” he said. “I’m trying to do that to the best of my abilities but there’s just a lot of things you can’t replicate.”
Suggs compared the process to what he went through as a rookie and sophomore with his right ankle. Across two seasons, he missed close to 40 games because of it.
“A different situation, but a lot of the same,” he said. “So, this time around, [I am] just not trying to rush it, especially as it’s gotten to the tail end of the process. It’s been pretty difficult but you try not to rush any part of that, taking it a day at a time.”
Suggs mentioned the need to give himself grace when he does return, knowing he won’t have to play as many as 30 minutes or go as hard as possible from the get go.
But he believes, after going through some recent limited contact work, his return is near as he continues to ramp up in practice ahead of the regular season.
“The fact that I got to start that process is great,” Suggs said. “I need a couple more chances and then I’m ready to get it rolling.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Originally Published: October 17, 2025 at 9:00 AM EDT