The Magic Insider

NBA Power Rankings: Orlando Magic Rising Thanks to Jalen Suggs?

The Orlando Magic went 1-2 this week. Where does that put the team in the most recent power rankings?

Jeremy Brener

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is hovering around the .500 mark as it embarks on its first Eastern Conference road trip of the season.

The team is currently 5-4 after a big win on Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak that saw the team defeated by the Dallas Mavericks at home and the Atlanta Hawks in Mexico City.

The team's efforts this week has kept the Magic right at No. 14 in The Athletic's power rankings, and third-year shooting guard Jalen Suggs has been a big reason behind Orlando's success in the early part of the year.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs / © Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY

"We’ve been waiting for Suggs to start making some shots to combine his offensive prowess and defensive excellence," The Athletic writes. "The No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft has been slow to make shots up until this point, shooting less than 40 percent from the field and below 30 percent from deep in his first two seasons. Suggs’ last two games against Atlanta and Milwaukee have shown a confident scorer and a confident shooter. It’s not enough to feel like he’s turned the corner yet, but he looks to have more purpose in what he does on offense."

Suggs and the Magic is back in action tonight against the Brooklyn Nets in Orlando's In-Season Tournament debut. Then, the team heads to the midwest for two games against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday and Friday night. On Sunday, the team closes out the road trip against the Indiana Pacers.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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