Orlando Magic’s rookies have made their biggest mark on defense

Jalen Suggs is still struggling to shoot.

The percentages say it — he is shooting an icy 30.9-percent from the floor and 22.7-percent from deep on pretty high usage and a lot of turnovers. The Orlando Magic are waiting for their prized rookie to break through and find that scoring touch that made him so dangerous at Gonzaga last year.

Those hints are all there — he showed good burst and creativity to finish at the rim in the win over the Utah Jazz and the loss to the San Antonio Spurs. But all the pieces have not come together.

Suggs is still getting himself settled in the NBA with the ball in his hands at least.

It is still hard to leave him off the floor though. Not merely because he is a young player the Magic are trying to develop but because he still makes very positive contributions to the team.

When Suggs fell to the Magic with the fifth overall pick, fans were beaming over the possibilities of adding a 20-point scorer and a dynamic guard to the team. What they have gotten in the early season instead, is a dynamic and dogged defender.

For now, and somewhat surprisingly, Suggs’ defense has been his best and most NBA-ready skill he has delivered. It is a sign that he will figure out the other parts of his game. For now, though, he and fellow rookie Franz Wagner are making major contributions on that end.

Both Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner have looked impressive defensively as the Orlando Magic solidify their identity.

They are proving to be key cogs of an improving and pesky Orlando defense.

"“That’s something I’ve always taken pride in since I was growing up in high school and AAU,” Suggs said after practice Tuesday. “It’s something I want to continue to come out and prove and show people that I do extremely well at a high level.”"

Defensive statistics are still notoriously tricky to parse out. But they do indicate the kind of defensive activity the Magic have seen from their rookies.

Suggs is doing well with deflections averaging 2.2 deflections per game according to NBA.com’s hustle stats. He contests 5.6 shots per game, trailing only Franz Wagner among wing players (the Magic’s two centers lead the team).

On that note, opponents shoot 37.8-percent when Suggs is the closest defender. That is 6.3-percentage points worse than expected. That percentage is the best on the team among rotation players and trails only Mo Bamba and Franz Wagner for the biggest difference from the expected field goal percentage.

Additionally, the Magic have a 102.6 defensive rating with Suggs on the floor, trailing only Mychal Mulder’s one appearance and Chuma Okeke in that mark. The team has a team-worst 115.1 defensive rating when he is off the floor.

It does not say everything about his defensive effort and energy, but it is certainly a quality sign that Suggs is making a positive impact defensively.

It is also clear Wagner is making the same kind of impact.

Wagner leads the team with 2.8 deflections per game and contests 6.8 shots per game, according to NBA.com’s hustle stats. Opponents shoot 39.1-percent when Franz Wagner is the closest defender, only Jalen Suggs and R.J. Hampton are better on the team. That is 6.4 percentage points worse than expected, a mark only Mo Bamba is beating at the moment.

The Magic have also played significantly better with Wagner on the floor too. The team has a 106.8 defensive rating with Wagner on the floor compared to 111.4 with him off the floor.

These stats are not the be-all, end-all stat for defense. But again, it shows the activity and play Wagner is making on the defensive end.

"“I try my best every possession,” Wagner said after practice Tuesday. “A lot of guys are a little stronger and faster than me. Knowing what my advantages are in each situation and knowing people’s tendencies can help a lot. But other than that, it is reading the game and being in the right spot most of the time. Most of the time, people are so good they are going to score. It’s just making it tough on people. I feel like I’m doing a solid job.”"

Franz Wagner will get a big test Wednesday when he goes up against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. That will certainly be a test of his confidence and skill defensively.

It will be easy to see where he is making some rookie mistakes and where he, as a rookie, is learning. It is still really tough to pick up defense and be in the right mindset defensively to survive when the players are so good.

Wagner said he is still learning player tendencies and trying to watch extra tape to get down what he has not experienced yet in the league. Wagner though has clearly picked things up quickly.

So too has Suggs and that is a credit to the kind of people they are and the way they approach the game. Both players have found a way to contribute and taken to the focus on defense coach Jamahl Mosley has put in.

"“That’s their competitive edge in a lot of ways because they’re so competitive because they’re tied into team defenses and what they played in college as well,” Mosley said after practice Tuesday. “They’re really locked in. That was training camp for us was laying down those fundamentals and trying to keep it as simple as possible when it comes to those coverages so they can adjust quickly.”"

Mosley said the combination of their high basketball IQs and that experience has helped them shorten that learning curve on that end. That was certainly part of what the team believed it was drafting when they selected them.

Suggs said his defense might have been a bit overlooked in the draft process. He certainly had the size to be a good defender. And so far, he is delivering on that end.

Wendell Carter said Jalen Suggs’ defense has been “phenomenal” and that he has made himself a pest on that end. Teammates certainly trust Suggs and his defensive abilities so far.

Defending in the NBA is definitely a different animal. Players are stronger and faster and they study up a lot more. There will certainly be an adjustment coming from the rookie players as everyone gets more tape on them.

Mosley has made defense the team’s identity to this point. And to see these two new players take to that identity quickly has been a positive sign.

The fact that both Suggs and Wagner have reveled in their defense and taken to their defense is a sign the team has guys who want to play and want to win.

"“You can get technical with and there are a lot of technical things to it, but at the end of the day it comes down to effort,” Suggs said after practice Tuesday. “You wanting to play defense and that’s something that I want to do. The offense will come with time. There are going to be times you make shots and times you miss shots. Defense is something every night that can be consistent.”"

Orlando is hoping its defense can be consistent. It has certainly gotten a lot better of late and has helped the team play a whole lot better.

This is still a young team full of inconsistencies. That goes for Suggs and Wagner too. They will have their moments where things slip.

But they have stood out defensively. And that is as promising as anything coming from the rookies this early in the season.