Magic Preseason Profile: Jalen Suggs Looking to Bounce Back in Second Season?

Jalen Suggs, the No. 5 pick from the 2021 NBA Draft, averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his rookie campaign for the Orlando Magic.

ORLANDO - For Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs, consistency was arguably the toughest thing to find in his rookie season. 

The team's first of two lottery selections in last season's draft, Suggs dealt with a plague of injuries, including a stress fracture in his right ankle and fractured right thumb, limiting him to just 48 games. 

And despite suffering a bone bruise in the Magic's preseason match-up against the Dallas Mavericks, limiting him in practice over the past week, Suggs put an emphasis on his health this offseason. 

"[The offseason] just started with a lot of rehab," Suggs said. "Trying to get my ankle back 100%. While we're doing that we're working on the rest of my body, my upper body, hips, hamstrings, my quads, stability, my core.

"I was in Orlando during the whole summer, didn't get to go home one time, really. I really got to be here and put in some work and the differences have really shown this past couple of weeks when I've been able to play and get back and run with the guys."

The shot-making ability Suggs showed in his lone season for the Gonzaga, including a near half-court buzzer beater to send his Bulldogs to the 2021 National Championship, was a big reason the Magic selected him at No. 5. 

However, the point guard struggled to truly ever find a rhythm putting the ball in the basket, posting shooting splits of 36.1/21.4/77.3 last season, well below league averages. 

With his time off the court from the injuries, Suggs used the time to get better in other ways, including watching film to make things easier offensively for him and his teammates. 

"The slowing down is what is really apparent," head coach Jamahl Mosley. "In that time of his injury, [Suggs] was able to study the game a little bit more, he was able to read the game so now that he comes back he's really just registering and recognizing things that he can see on the floor at a slower pace.

"We want him to push the ball up fast and get over half court but it doesn't always have to be about 'I get the shot.' It's not always about the shot, it's about breaking the defense down, being able to move that ball."

Suggs and the Magic begin their campaign on October 19th against the Detroit Pistons. 

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