Jalen Suggs had surgery last week to address a slight stress fracture in his right ankle, Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman announced Monday.
The Magic said Suggs is expected to resume basketball activities this summer and make a full recovery for the start of training camp.
“In assessing Jalen’s right ankle at the conclusion of the season, and consulting with multiple doctors, we came to the determination to undergo this preventative measure,” Weltman said. “We feel by addressing this now Jalen can still have a productive summer leading into training camp.”
Suggs, the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft, dealt with injuries to his right ankle during his rookie season that sidelined him for 13 of the final 18 games.
He sprained the ankle during the road win over the Toronto Raptors on March 4 before missing the next two games.
Suggs returned in the win over the New Orleans Pelicans on March 9, also playing vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 11 and Philadelphia 76ers on March 13 before missing 10 consecutive games because of a bone bruise in his right ankle.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Suggs, among other players who were dealing with late-season injuries, wasn’t going to return to the floor unless they were healthy enough to play.
“You’d like to see him on the court at some point, but it’s not going to be to the detriment of his health,” Mosley said of Suggs in late March. “I understand their ability to push through, but you don’t want guys to continue to have nagging injuries going through the summer. So you make sure they’re healthy all the way before they step on the floor.”
Suggs returned in the home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 5 and played in the road loss to the Charlotte Hornets on April 7, playing on a minutes restriction in both games, before sitting out the season-finale win over the Miami Heat on April 10 because of the bone bruise.
Suggs finished the season averaging 11.8 points (36.1% shooting, 21.4% on 3-pointers), 4.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 48 games.
He also missed 20 games from early December through mid-January after fracturing his right thumb (shooting hand) in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 29, 2021.
Suggs spoke on coming back for his second season as a significantly better player, pointing to his shot and ball-handling as areas he’d focus on improving.
The hope is that by getting the surgery earlier in the offseason, Suggs will still be able to work on his game during the summer ahead of next season’s start.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected].
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