The Orlando Magic hoped this would be their year. With two superstars in their conference presumed to be out for the season, there was a dearth of a true top-flight contender in the Eastern Conference, and they wanted to take advantage of that absence.
But even after adding Desmond Bane in the offseason, they have struggled to escape the doldrums of the Play-In. While a playoff spot is still in the balance, each game is vitally important for them at this point. As a result, a scary injury report as they get ready to face the Cleveland Cavaliers isn’t going to do them any favors.
Injury Impacts for Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
At 38-33, the Magic have been far from a bad team. But in a logjammed East, they are only going for the eighth seed currently. However, as far as the fifth seed is concerned, it is still within striking distance for them.
With 11 games left on their schedule, they stand just two games behind the Toronto Raptors, with a legitimate chance to catch up to them before the end of the regular season. A post-All-Star break surge from Paolo Banchero may have given fans some optimism.
But his numbers have cooled down since then, and Orlando has gone just 5-5 over its last 10 games. Middle of the pack both offensively and defensively, it has failed to establish its identity on either side of the ball.
Any hopes of a late surge, though, are also going to be tough, given the increasing number of players on the injured list. Going against the Cavaliers is another uphill battle for the group, with four players already ruled out for the game.
One of their primary sources of offense, Franz Wagner, has been ruled out for the contest with an ankle injury. But the blows to the frontcourt get worse as their best defender, Jonathan Isaac, is also out with a knee injury.
Their problems, though, get even worse when accounting for the backcourt. Their two primary guard options outside of Bane, Anthony Black, and Jalen Suggs, have both been ruled out for the contest.
Black has been dealing with an abdominal strain that will keep him out of the game. Suggs, though, is ailing from an illness and is slated to miss the game, as Philip Rossman-Reich of the Orlando Magic Daily reported.
In their absence, the bulk of the guard role is going to fall to Jevon Carter, who should be starting against the Cavs.
