The Magic recently provided injury updates on Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays. All-Star forward Banchero, who has been out since Oct. 30 due to a torn abdominal muscle, was able to practice on Tuesday, but he’ll remain out for Wednesday’s contest vs. Detroit.
“Paolo was able to go through some light contact through practice, but that’s about it,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said.
Banchero recently stated that he’ll have to go through full contact work and participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages before being cleared to return.
Suggs sustained a right wrist sprain on Sunday vs. Brooklyn, but it sounds like the injury is relatively minor. The All-Defensive guard was able to practice on Tuesday and is probable for Wednesday’s game, according to Beede.
As for Black, he did not practice on Tuesday and is questionable for today’s game due to a lower back contusion. The second-year guard has missed one game to this point with the injury.
Here are a few more notes from the Southeast Division:
- Despite significant injuries to Banchero, Franz Wagner and most recently Moritz Wagner, who is out for the season after tearing his ACL, the Magic have remained highly competitive, currently holding a 20-14 record, good for the No. 4 seed in the East. In a subscriber-only column for The Orlando Sentinel, Mike Bianchi argues that Mosley should be the frontrunner for the NBA’s Coach of the Year award for the way he’s managed the team — and the resilience the club has displayed — amid the absences.
- In a post-game interview on NBA TV (Twitter video link), former NBA head coach Sam Mitchell noted that Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has started to receive some All-Star buzz. Asked if he’s been thinking about that possibility, Johnson said it’s a secondary priority. “I’ve got All-Star on my mind, but there’s more important things at task right now and that’s winning,” he said.
- Last Friday, the Hawks signed guard/forward Daeqwon Plowden to a two-way contract. The deal covers two years, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac, which means Plowden will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2026. All two-way deals are non-guaranteed, however, so it’s certainly not a lock that Plowden will still be on Atlanta’s roster by that point.