3 ways Jalen Suggs will improve for the Orlando Magic in 2024

Jalen Suggs has cut his teeth defensively in the NBA through his first two seasons. He will need to make offensive gains to take his next step. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Jalen Suggs has cut his teeth defensively in the NBA through his first two seasons. He will need to make offensive gains to take his next step. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

Jalen Suggs was the frontman last Friday for the Orlando Magic’s Classic Edition jersey reveal.

This close to the start of the season, everyone is on muscle watch and everyone noted Suggs’ seemingly bigger size heading into the season. The message coming out of the event regarding this year’s team was about the potential this team certainly has and the growth that is certain to come.

All eyes are certainly on Suggs for that reason.

He has had a rough first two seasons in the NBA. Injuries dominated the conversation with him with a hand and ankle injury slowing him down in his rookie season and further ankle and concussion issues slowing him down his second year.

Suggs has not quite put everything together or made good on all the promises that came with his selection. But he has still shown plenty of promise. He has come out as a strong defender able to disrupt opponents on the perimeter. And there is not much more he has to do to impact the game defensively.

Everything that Suggs needs to improve is his offensive efficiency. That will only make his superb defense stand out more.

Jalen Suggs has established himself as an excellent defender in his first two seasons. His next steps will come by improving his offensive efficiency this season.

His offensive game started to come around at the end of last season, providing some hope for Suggs’ development this year.

To be sure, there is a lot of excitement for Suggs. And that only increased with the way he finished this season.

Suggs said he spent the majority of the offseason in Orlando working out with teammates at the AdventHealth Training Center. He also has done his share of traveling including going back home for an early summer pro-am in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

More importantly for Suggs, it appears he has gotten through the summer fully healthy. That is a big thing for Suggs after he had to miss the early part of his first offseason recovering from a late-season ankle injury.

A healthy offseason for a young player is undoubtedly the most important thing in a player’s development.

Undoubtedly Suggs is a player still filled with potential and promise. He has shown that with big performances like his clutch showing against the Golden State Warriors, let alone his game-winning 3-pointer against the Chicago Bulls. But time is running out for Suggs with his contract running out and the Magic focusing their attention on growing the team in a significant way.

Suggs has a lot of areas he can improve and get better. And the Magic are certainly hopeful to see him take some major steps in his third season.