Orlando Magic DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Utah Jazz. Suggs exited Friday's game against the Toronto Raptors early when he sustained his back injury. The 23-year-old has only missed three games this season. Given Orlando's lengthy injury report, Magic fans and fantasy managers can only hope that the strain won't keep him out of the lineup for long. In his absence, expect Tristan Da Silva to get more usage in the starting lineup. Cole Anthony should be expected to get more volume at point guard as well. Both should make solid fantasy options against a soft Jazz defense.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (back) won't return to Friday's game against the Toronto Raptors. The 23-year-old wasn't having the best game, scoring only six points until he went down with a non-contact injury near the end of the second quarter. He was taken off the floor in a wheelchair and eventually diagnosed with back spasms. However, Suggs will likely undergo further testing to determine the extent of the injury. If he's not available on Sunday versus Utah, Cole Anthony could be in line for some more minutes.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (oblique) remained out ahead of Wednesday's matchup versus the Pistons. However, he was spotted before the game getting "on-court" work. Without question, this is an excellent sign regarding the 22-year-old, who averaged 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in five games before going down with an oblique injury. While it's still too early to speculate, it seems logical to assume Banchero could be back at some point in the next few games. Granted, it will take him time before he's back to his pre-injury workload. Yet, the former Duke Blue Devil should be starting in all fantasy lineups as soon as he gets the green light to get back on the floor.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (wrist) will be active against Detroit on Wednesday. Orlando has upgraded him from probable to available. A wrist injury limited Suggs to just 13 minutes in the previous game against Brooklyn. Suggs is having a career year in 2024-25 and should continue leading the Magic in Wednesday's favorable matchup against a Detroit team with a below-average defense. He went for 20-plus points in back-to-back games before exiting early on Sunday.

According to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Magic power forwardPaolo Banchero(oblique) participated in light-contact work at Tuesday's practice. Banchero will likely return soon, but there isn't a confirmed timetable yet. The Magic did, however, announce on December 28th that he is in the return to competition reconditioning" phase of his recovery plan. Before tearing his right oblique, Banchero averaged 29 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists across five games this season.