Orlando Magic Player Comparisons: Who are the Rookies?
Jalen Suggs
The Ringer: Brandon Roy, Chauncey Billups, Jamal Murray
NBADraft.net: Jason Kidd, De’Aaron Fox
There is palpable excitement about Jalen Suggs.
Orlando Magic fans felt it the moment the Toronto Raptors selected Scottie Barnes and then Jalen Suggs’ name came next for the Magic’s selection.
It only grew with that first Summer League game where Suggs led the team to a come-from-behind victory that included his block to send the game to overtime and set up his own potential heroics.
Suggs continued to double down on that with a solid second outing before injury cut his Summer League short. That has not stopped any of the excitement for him though.
Suggs’ numbers speak for themselves.
He averaged 14.4 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game while shooting a 55.8-percent effective field goal percentage. Suggs was a dynamo who stepped up in the rare moments Gonzaga needed him to step up. Suggs’ numbers in college were much lower than they actually were.
The same could be said for his play at Summer League. In three appearances in Las Vegas, Suggs averaged 15.3 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game.
Orlando Magic
He could have scored a whole lot more if not for a 12-minute outing in his third game of Summer League. And he had plenty of stellar assists that teammates simply did not cash in on.
If everyone’s eyes were wide, it was as much for these hidden plays his numbers did not show as it was exactly what he did show from looking at the box score.
No player on these lists is going to have as much potential star power as Suggs. Magic fans reacted as if they won the Lottery when Suggs fell to them. He really did.
Obviously, draft player comparisons can be an inexact science. There are no numbers to back this up. It is all feel.
The fact both The Ringer and NBADraft.net seem to compare Suggs to a potentially great point guard with passing and leadership abilities is a good sign.
The most interesting comparison though comes from The Ringer.
Brandon Roy was an elite scorer, topping off at 22.5 points per game and 5.1 assists per game in the 2009 season. He was one of the elite perimeter scorers in the league and clutch to boot. Roy might have been a little taller. But the way Suggs moves and attacks feels very much the same.
It remains to be seen whether Suggs has the same explosive scoring knack that someone like Roy had. That may well define his career and just how far he can go.
But if that is anywhere near his ceiling, Magic fans are going to get their wish.