After Orlando Magic star Jalen Suggs returned from a knee injury this season, the guard is still working back to being 100 percent healthy after having arthroscopic surgery in January of this year. As the Magic continue to get injury updates on Suggs, he's back to being a key piece in the team's rotation, though the 24-year-old would speak more about the knee injury.
Speaking after Orlando's 129-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Suggs would be asked by The Orlando Sentinel's Jason Beede how close he is to being the player he was before the injury. Suggs would have an honest answer about not “chasing” that, though his further response would show good signs for the future.
“I think I'm reaching for who I can be – player and person,” Suggs said, after playing 26 minutes and scoring 23 points. “It's great to go off of, it's great to look back at the past couple seasons, some of the old ways I used to defend, even before the knee, and just my movement patterns and all that…But I think for me, it's about how do I keep evolving in this league so I can stay present, keep improving, keep helping us climb the ranks to become one of the better teams. I think me improving myself and who I am directly correlates with that.”
I asked #Magic guard Jalen Suggs how close he feels to his former self before his knee injury, here’s how he answered:
“I don’t even think I’m chasing my former self. I think I’m reaching for who I can be — player and person … For me, it’s about how do I keep evolving…”
More: https://t.co/CmhlqPNw8M pic.twitter.com/2FI1gKYCS5
— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) November 21, 2025
Magic's Jalen Suggs speaks further on injury recovery
With the Magic missing Paolo Banchero due to injury, Suggs has been called upon, among others, to step up in the star's absence, which he has done and more. Besides returning to himself from before the surgery, Suggs finds more importance in being “better for everybody” at the moment.
“So, [I'm] just trying to be better for everybody,” Suggs said. “It'll come in time. I know I've got more steps to go. I've got a higher level I can be at. So, really just trying to take it day-by-day, continue to be honest with how I'm feeling — mentally, physically — and just keep growing, to be honest. It's on the way. I think I'm in a good space with it now, just trying to try it again. I think that's the biggest part, and everything else with time will come at me.”
At any rate, Orlando has a 9-7 record, as the team next faces the New York Knicks on Saturday.
