Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs’ struggles are not abnormal

If you are looking for signs that Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs is getting more comfortable, watch his drives.

Suggs was advertised as someone who could attack the rim in the open court. And when he has been given the chance to get in the open floor, Suggs has looked good. It is one of the few places he has looked solid to this point in the season.

And in an area where Suggs has struggled, he has started to show some signs of life attacking the basket.

Take his move in Friday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Suggs attacked the basket off a close out and beat Derrick White to the middle of the court. As Devin Eubanks slid over to challenge, Jalen Suggs twisted as he met contact, spinning around in time to score at the basket.

It was not necessarily pretty, but it showed the creativity Suggs has to finish at the basket.

This is what the Magic envisioned when they picked him and these flashes are necessary steps forward for the young guard. It is part of a generally improving trend for Suggs at finishing at the basket.

They are just flashes though. And Suggs has struggled in every offensive area this year. Through 12 games, everyone is just searching for positive signs of his growth and development and that he can reach that potential everyone saw for him.

There is plenty of impatience in the world today and in society. There is already some early hand-wringing.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs has had a slow start to his rookie season. But these early struggles are not abnormal for first-year players.

So let this be a signal to everyone to relax a bit. Suggs’ struggles are not terribly abnormal. And other similarly hyped players struggled in their early run through the NBA.

Everyone is confident Suggs will find his way out.

"“A lot of his teammates, including myself, have been trying to preach to him to take his open shots,” Wendell Carter said after Tuesday’s practice. “Sometimes I feel like he overthinks some things, which is normal. He wants to make the right basketball play. He’ll get his own feel for the game on the offensive end. Other than that, he’s been playing really well and reading the court on the offensive end. The sky is the limit for him.”"

It is easy to see Suggs get in his own head. He certainly has the green light to shoot. But there seem to be some moments where indecision and uncertainty take over.

The numbers are still overall grim for Suggs.

He is averaging 11.6 points per game and 3.6 assists per game with 3.5 turnovers per game. He is shooting 30.6-percent from the floor and 20.6-percent from beyond the arc. Suggs has been one of the worst high-volume shooters in the early part of the year.

At least, he has not been afraid to shoot. He leads the team in usage rate among rotation players at 26.3-percent and is second on the team in field goal attempts per game with 12.3 per game.

For a fifth overall selection with star potential and aspirations, that might be a good thing even if he is playing through mistakes. And Suggs still makes a positive impact elsewhere on the floor — especially on the defensive end.

But the shooting numbers are still extremely concerning. The Magic and Suggs are still confident a breakthrough will come.

"“The offense is going to come, whether it is missing easy bunnies, little layups, things like that. All those will start to fall,” Suggs said after practice Tuesday. “As time goes on and I continue to get comfortable and continue to get my legs under myself, I’m not worried about that at all. Just continue to get the pace and comfortability that I’m out there and people aren’t dictating what I’m going to do, I’m able to dictate that myself. That’s the biggest thing that I’m trying to work on right now.”"

But it is easy to forget too that Suggs is a rookie. A highly touted one at that and on a team that does not have many options. Struggles should have been expected in some areas. Certainly some inconsistency too.

He is still figuring out how to get that pace down. And other high-usage rookies and marquee rookies are struggling on that front too.

He is not alone in some of his struggles early in the season — both among his peers and in recent history. Everyone needs some time to adjust to the league.

Cade Cunningham is averaging 12.6 points per game and shooting 28.4-percent in his first five games of the season (he missed time to start the season with a sprained ankle).

Jalen Green is averaging 14.5 points per game on 35.9-percent shooting and 28.4-percent shooting from deep in his 11 games so far. Green is trading in all the rookie power rankings on his 30-point outburst — an important data point Suggs is missing so far.

The big-name rookies from this year’s class are certainly taking their time getting back into rhythm and finding their shots in the NBA.

There is a historical precedent for this too.

Donovan Mitchell averaged just 12.9 points per game and shot 34.5-percent from the floor through his first 12 games. Trae Young averaged 18.4 points per game and shot 26.0-percent from beyond the arc and turned it over 4.0 times per game in his first 12 games.

De’Aaron Fox, a common comparison for Jalen Suggs during the draft process, averaged 11.9 points per game and shot 40.3-percent from the floor in his first 12 games in the league.

Another comparison for Jalen Suggs was former All-Star Brandon Roy. Roy averaged 12.9 points per game and shot 10.5-percent from three in his first 12 games (interrupted perhaps predictably by an injury).

There are some important warnings though that should raise eyebrows short of alarm bells.

Each of those players had breakthrough games that clearly showed their potential and what they would become. While Suggs has consistently scored in double figures, he has only one 20-point game to his record so far.

Aside from a consistent ability to get to the foul line, Suggs has not shown a lot of the offensive burst and the potential the team was looking for. He appears to be getting to the right spots but has struggled to finish.

At this point, his defense has been his best attribute. Everything else is still a work in progress.

Every rookie will go through their own struggles. And Suggs still has a long career ahead of him. No one is giving up on him.

For another point of reference, Anthony Edwards averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 37.2-percent from the floor in his first 12 games. He too had inefficient scoring outbursts early before really figuring things out later in the season.

That is what the Magic are hoping for. And they are displaying the patience to wait it out.

Suggs seemingly will have his breakthrough at some point. There is at least some minor concern that it has not come as of yet. But he is having some of the same struggles others in his place have had.

And certainly, he is experiencing some of the struggles his peers have had.

Like so many things with the Magic this year, it is about continuous improvement through the course of the season. The team will hope to see that progression continue as the season goes on.

For now, the concern levels are likely low as Suggs takes his lumps early in his career.