The Orlando Magic may finally be getting a little healthier, and that alone changes the feel of Friday’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jalen Suggs has moved from OUT to QUESTIONABLE, which matters for a team that has spent too much time patching together its backcourt. Orlando’s injury list is still a mess, with Paolo Banchero, Tristan da Silva, Noah Penda, Jonathan Isaac and Izaiyah Nelson all out, while Jamal Cain remains questionable. But Suggs’ status is the most encouraging development on the board.
That’s because the Magic have been searching for steady playmaking and downhill pressure ever since Banchero and Suggs went down. Suggs isn’t a perfect fix, but he was averaging 5.7 assists per game and 15.7 drives per game in his three appearances this season.
Those numbers line up closely with what Anthony Black has been providing as he’s ramped up. The problem for Suggs early on was scoring: 8.0 points per game, 35.7 percent shooting and 1-for-9 from deep.
Orlando is hoping that was just a three-game blip. Even with the rough offensive start, his defense and ball-handling would still give the Magic something they badly need.
The other area where Orlando has cleaned things up is on the glass. Before the team’s four-game West Coast trip, rebounding was a real concern.
The Magic were giving up offensive boards and not closing possessions the way they should. Since then, that has flipped.
Orlando has climbed to ninth in defensive rebound rate at 69.8 percent, and during the road trip the Magic grabbed 80.3 percent of their defensive rebound opportunities. They’ve also moved to 14th with a 32.7 offensive rebound rate and sit seventh with 16.5 second-chance points per game.
That’s a problem for Milwaukee, because the Bucks have had their own issues on the boards. They allow 17.8 second-chance points per game, while Orlando gives up the fewest in the league at 10.9. If the Magic keep winning the possession battle, that’s a major edge.
Milwaukee’s bigger issue, though, may be the disappearance of Myles Turner’s production. After signing a mega deal last summer, Turner has not delivered the kind of impact the Bucks expected.
He’s averaging 6.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and that’s well below what Milwaukee needs from him. He is still blocking shots and protecting the rim - opponents are shooting 48.7 percent against him at the basket, according to Second Spectrum - but his overall presence around the rim has faded, especially on offense.
The Bucks still have dangerous pieces in Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Nate Ament has had a solid rookie season while waiting for more chances. But this group has not come close to meeting even modest expectations, and it doesn’t look equipped to keep up if Orlando is organized and executing.
The Magic have started to find a real identity again: attack the paint through Franz Wagner, crowd teams inside, and dominate the glass. The 3-point shot will come and go, but Orlando is no longer leaning on it the way it was a couple of weeks ago.
Two of the team’s recent wins came against one-win opponents, so the résumé isn’t spotless. Still, the Magic did what they were supposed to do.
They’ve answered the urgency that was missing earlier, and if they continue to make enough shots while defending and rebounding the way they have on this trip, they should have enough to handle Milwaukee.
In Other News...
Bucks Face One Rotation Problem They Cant Keep Hiding
Milwaukees early-season issues have gone well beyond the box score, and the most glaring one has been in the middle. Since Giannis Antetokounmpos departure, the Bucks have tried to patch together their frontcourt with Myles Turner and Kelel Ware, but neither has given them the kind of steady center play they need, leaving the rotation thinner than it should be for a team trying to stay afloat in a crowded East.
The result has been a lot of competitive stretches that still end in frustration, with the Bucks hanging around for long enough to look functional before the game slips away in key moments. Tyler Herro has been one of the more reliable pieces in those matchups, but Milwaukees inconsistency elsewhere keeps putting extra pressure on a rotation that already feels like it is being stretched to its limit. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Suggs Could Give The Magic A Needed Boost Tonight
The Magic may be getting a little healthier at a time when they could use it. Jalen Suggs has been upgraded to questionable for the NBA Cup matchup with the Bucks after sitting out the last eight games with a right knee contusion and bone bruise, a development that at least opens the door for him to rejoin a backcourt that has had to absorb plenty of strain.
Orlando has been juggling injuries for weeks, and the absence of Paolo Banchero has only sharpened the need for more reliable guard play and lineup flexibility. Suggs status will be worth watching right up to tipoff, because even a limited return would give the Magic another option as they try to keep the rotation intact against a Milwaukee team that can punish any thin spots. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Suggs Could Give The Magic A Needed Lift Tonight
Jalen Suggs is creeping back toward the floor at just the right time for Orlando. The Magic guard took part in shootaround before the teams NBA Cup game and said he feels ready to play, a promising sign after a stretch on the sideline that left the backcourt thinner than usual. He is still listed as questionable, but his presence at morning work suggests the team at least has a real possibility of getting one of its most important perimeter defenders back in the mix.
Sean Sweeney also said forwards Tristan da Silva and Jamal Cain were on the court for shootaround and are questionable as well, giving Orlando a few moving parts to monitor before tipoff. For a team trying to manage its rotation and keep pace in a tournament setting, the injury report could shape how the night unfolds almost as much as the matchup itself. [Read more 🡒]