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2023 Orlando Magic Trade Value Column: A future to plan for

By Philip Rossman-Reich

The Orlando Magic are a team on the rise with several franchise pillars in place heading into the trade deadline. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Orlando Magic are a team on the rise with several franchise pillars in place heading into the trade deadline. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic, Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
Jalen Suggs will not get a matchup with Bennedict Mathurin at the Rising Stars Game this year. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /

2023 Orlando Magic Trade Value Column

5. Jalen Suggs (3-Years, $23.4 million, Team Option for 2025)

Last Year: 3rd

Jalen Suggs is on one hand still the salvation for this team. The guy everyone cheered for when he supposedly slipped to the team at fifth in the 2021 NBA Draft. He was the dynamic guard who could attack off the dribble and be the offensive driver the team hoped for.

The reality has been that Suggs is an often out-of-control guard who is going a million miles a minute and struggles to shoot from beyond the arc. Without a consistent outside shot, it is tough for any guard to carve their spot in this league.

Then again. . . Suggs was always a strong defender. The Magic shouted to everyone who could hear that their internal metrics had Suggs as one of the best defenders in the league. That was always something they could come back to.

And then he just needed to be healthy after missing so much of his rookie year — and then again a good chunk of his second year with ankle issues.

So what is Suggs? Everyone wants to know.

The shot is definitely not there — he is shooting just 29.7 percent from beyond the arc although his mid-range shooting is up to 40.7 percent on pull-ups and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc on pull-ups. That improvement is noteworthy. There is something Suggs can continue to build on.

But that is the mirage of youth. That is what everyone talks themselves into.

What everyone is really buying from Jalen Suggs is that he looks like a Marcus Smart-type defender. Someone who can get after players and be a completely disruptive force. Now that he is looking healthier for this Magic team, that defense has come to the forefront. And it has energized the team and elevated them in his minutes — even without the consistent shot.

Suggs is still young enough that everyone can talk themselves into that potential. And that defense is enough to get him on the floor and playing a role. Sugg is embracing that role more and more.

The question is how much better he will get. And that is why you do not give up on him quite yet.