Orlando Magic rookie Jalen Suggs suffered a fractured right thumb on Monday versus the Philadelphia 76ers and was ruled out of returning to the contest, the team announced.
Suggs appeared to suffer the injury in the fourth quarter after he was inadvertently slapped by 76ers center Joel Embiid on the hand. Suggs immediately grabbed his hand after the play and checked out with 4:20 left in the game.
He finished with 17 points, five assists and three rebounds in the loss.
The Magic were forced to play without a true point guard on the court following the injury to Suggs. The team was already without Cole Anthony due to an ankle injury while Markelle Fultz (knee) and Michael Carter-Williams (ankle) have yet to play this season.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley revealed that Jalen Suggs suffered a fractured right thumb tonight vs. the 76ers:
"He has got a fractured thumb so he will be out for an extended period of time."
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) November 30, 2021
The injury to Suggs comes just as the fifth overall pick started to gain his footing in the NBA and turn the corner. He felt as though the game had started to slow down as he showed great control and poise running the team on a nightly basis.
The Magic will rally around him to help keep his spirits up.
“The kid is a fighter and that is the thing for him to have an injury but you just love his fight, resilience, toughness and competitive edge,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “It is tough for Jalen in this situation now but our guys will lift him up, keep him engaged and keep the fight going.”
Suggs is expected to be reevaluated when the Magic return to Orlando. The team has not put a firm timetable on his return but he is expected to miss several weeks.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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