The Orlando Magic will finish up its stint in Las Vegas without one of its two top-10 picks from the 2021 NBA Draft. According to the team, standout young guard Jalen Suggs suffered an injury against the Boston Celtics on Thursday that was determined to be a sprained left thumb.
During the second quarter of action, Suggs drove to the rim and hit the deck, holding his left hand in pain as he got up. The team gave him some time before he underwent an MRI on Thursday, but after that examination showed he suffered a sprain, the team has opted to play things safe and keep Suggs sidelined for the rest of Summer League.
INJURY UPDATE:
During the first half against Boston yesterday, @OrlandoMagic guard @jalensuggs suffered an injury to his left thumb. An MRI conducted today confirmed a left thumb sprain.As a precautionary measure, Suggs will be sidelined for the remainder of NBA Summer League.
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) August 13, 2021
Suggs is not the first top-5 pick named Jalen to get shut down as a precaution following an injury he suffered at Summer League, as the Houston Rockets did the same thing with Jalen Green after he hurt his hamstring on Thursday. It’s an unfortunate and abrupt ending for Suggs’ stint in Sin City, as he very much looked the part in about two and a half games before getting shut down. Suggs averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals for the Magic, with his best performance coming during the team’s opener against Golden State.