Magic Postseason Profile: Jalen Suggs Focusing On Consistency in Year 3

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs averaged 9.9 points, three rebounds and 2.9 assists in his second career season.

Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs will always be remembered for his  iconic buzzer-beater for Gonzaga over UCLA in the 2021 NCAA Final Four. 

And while his Bulldogs did not cap off that March Madness run with a title (falling to Baylor in the championship game 86-70), it did help propel his draft stock in that year's NBA Draft. 

The Magic would select the Gonzaga prospect at No. 5 less than three months following his miraculous shot, setting him up as the guard of the future in Orlando. 

In his rookie campaign, injuries limited Suggs to just 48 games and in the time he did play it was clearly not 100 percent - posting shooting splits of 36.1/21.4/77.3. 

And this past season, the stress fractured ankle that Suggs received surgery on in the offseason held the guard out of another 29 games, including a stretch of 18 straight from November to early January. 

After returning from injury, the 21-year-old missed just five of Orlando's final 43 games and played a key role off the bench over the stretch. 

"The one thing that is more important than anything is health," head coach Jamahl Mosley said in Monday's exit interview. "It's so important, I'm so proud of the way that he finished the year, not just physically, but mentally as well, being able to put himself in a space of knowing how he can come back the right way."

Serving as a spark plug for the second unit behind the backcourt pairing of Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris, Suggs increased those shooting from the field to 41.9 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from three. 

"Everybody wants to play of course," Suggs said. "It's just how you continue to work to put yourself in the best position to get those minutes and be in when it counts."

Where Suggs made his presence felt the most was on the defensive end, posting 1.3 steals in 23.5 minutes per game, which trailed just Fultz (1.5) for the team-lead. 

"It's really the word of the offseason for me and where my mental is that, and that's consistency," Suggs said in Monday's exit interview. "Being able to lock in defensively every night, that's something I take a lot of pride in and I think I've done a good job in showing that.

"Just showing that I'm versatile defensively and able to make it tough for them."

But for Suggs, now heading into his second offseason as a member of the Magic, it comes down the same part of his game that sent his Gonzaga Bulldogs to the 2021 National Championship. 

"Just continuing the jump shot," Suggs said. "After I came back, the way that opened up a lot of things on the court and allowed me to be in different situations and different spots. You shoot the three-ball in this league, you're good, you kind of always have a spot."

Now, it's on to the offseason for Suggs, where he'll look to prepare for his best year yet in 2023-24.

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You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard.

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