Magic SG Jalen Suggs Hopes to 'Keep Things Rolling'

Jalen Suggs returned Sunday night for the Orlando Magic after a four-game absence with a concussion.

Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO - It's been a year of growth for Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs.

The second-year pro has continued to struggle with injuries, including his most recent concussion that knocked him out of four games. But he returned Sunday night against the Brooklyn Nets to the tune of 16 points off the bench in one of his most efficient games of the season.

"I want to be out there with my guys and help do what I can to get us wins," Suggs said. "I’m just going to continue to try and get in where I fit in. Help us out defensively and offensively. Stay in that flow, take what the game gives me, and I just have to keep things rolling.”

As a rookie, the adjustment to the pro game from college can be a bit of a culture shock. But Suggs is proving in his second season that the game is slowing down for him.

“I thought he was great," head coach Jamahl Mosley said after Suggs' return to the lineup Sunday. "Obviously defensively what he brought to the table, his physicality. Getting over and under screens. Offensively, I really thought his pace was really good. He never got himself sped up. He was making the right play, the right decision. He just let the game come to him. You know that’s signs of growth.”

Suggs' adversity he's faced as a favorite of the injury bug has maybe slightly taken away from how much he's improved and the role he can have for this team moving forward.

"I think he’s doing a great job of just focusing on going out there and contributing in any way he can," Markelle Fultz said. "I’m very proud of Jalen, but I'm even more proud for our team. Just finding a way to fight through adversity and just keep going.”

The Magic is 18-28 in games Suggs has played in this year, but 10 of those losses have come by five points or less, meaning Orlando is usually in the game when the second-year pro from Gonzaga plays.

The amount of close losses this year from the Magic shows that this team has been competitive, and Suggs is part of the reason why.

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