Jalen Suggs ($7,700) has missed the last 10 games due to a back injury. He has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s contest vs. the Detroit Pistons.
Goga Bitadze ($6,000) has missed the last five games due to a concussion. He is also questionable.
Cole Anthony ($6,500) has missed the last two games due to an illness. He is also questionable.
When Suggs was healthy, he was the defacto point guard for Orlando, garnering a 27.4% usage rate on the season. Much of that was without Paolo Banchero ($8,500) in the mix, though. Banchero and Franz Wagner ($8,000) are both back for Orlando, so Suggs will cede some usage if he’s able to return. In addition, the Magic will likely slowly ramp his minutes up, so it’s highly unlikely he approaches 30 minutes.
Anthony filled in admirably while Suggs was out, starting eight games and putting up at least 23 FPTS in all with four over 30 and two over 40 FPTS. If Suggs is unable to play and Anthony is activated, he will likely play close to 30 minutes and get buckets, because that’s what he does. He will cede shots and usage, though, with Banchero and Wagner back.
With Bitadze out, Wendell Carter Jr. ($6,100) was starting and playing over 30 minutes. He put up over 30 FPTS three times with a high of 49.75 FPTS. When Bitadze was healthy, Carter was seeing around 20 minutes a night, sometimes less. If Bitadze returns, he likely wouldn’t see a full complement of minutes, meaning Carter Jr. could still have some utility for a few games.
