No player felt the pressure or disappointment of the Orlando Magic's latest playoff defeat more than Jalen Suggs.
Suggs wears his emotions on his sleeve. And it was apparent as the Orlando Magic's series with the Detroit Pistons unraveled where Suggs' head was at.
After struggling to close the series -- he scored 23 total points and shot 7 for 28 (25.0 percent) overall and 3 for 15 (20.0 percent) from three combined -- Suggs' future was suddenly in focus. A player known for boosting lineups went -4, -14, -28 in the final three games of that series.
It would have been fair to wonder if Game 7 was Suggs' last game in a Magic uniform. The quiet way he spoke to reporters outside the Magic's locker room after that game certainly seemed to suggest it was potentially on his mind too.
The Magic obviously did not make that change. Even with the continued calls for the team to find a point guard, they stuck with Suggs.
Everyone should be feeling the pressure to perform and meet this team's potential this season -- whatever that ultimate potential will be. Despite all the criticisms, Suggs had one of the best seasons of his career last year.
It still did not feel like enough in the end. And there are a lot of questions about Suggs.
He remains the turning point player for this team. He could be a player that supercharges lineups or the player whose injuries and arrested development put a cap on this team.
The team's ability to improve rests on his shoulders and his development. He can take the team to the next level.
He is the player who can supercharge the lineup or drag them down. And that is the central conflict entering the season.
Suggs the supercharger
Jalen Suggs turned in a solid, but not spectacular season in the end.
He averaged 13.8 points per game and shot 43.5 percent from the floor and 33.9 percent from three, both the second-best marks of his career. He played in 57 games, also the second-most in his career. He averaged a career-best 5.5 assists per game.
In many ways, it was not a bad season for Suggs. The team is expecting everyone to take a step up to reach the next level. At some points, Suggs did. At others, he did not.
Suggs is an incredibly important player for this team. He supercharged a lot of lineups, particularly on defense.
The Magic had a team-best +5.2 net rating with Suggs on the floor, compared to a -2.8 net rating with him off the floor (trailing only Desmond Bane).
Every key player was better with Suggs on the floor with them, at least in part because they shared the floor with him during those mega starting lineups.
If there was a reason for the Magic to keep Suggs, this was it.
Net Rtg. with Suggs | Net Rtg. w/o Suggs | Diff. | |
|---|---|---|---|
Paolo Banchero | +7.3 | -4.9 | 12.2 |
Franz Wagner | +9.2 | -3.8 | 13.0 |
Desmond Bane | +6.4 | -3.1 | 9.5 |
Wendell Carter | +6.8 | -2.9 | 9.7 |
Anthony Black | +15.9 | -4.6 | 20.5 |
Data from Databallr
Lineup data is not the be-all, end-all for a player. A lot of these numbers went the opposite direction in the Playoffs -- although the team was still better with him on the floor.
Suggs gets his own way a lot with turnovers and compounding mistakes. His injuries do not help either. But his potential is clear.
Suggs was playing incredibly well before his hip injury in December, averaging 15.4 points per game and shot 47.1 percent from the floor through the NBA Cup. He averaged only 12.9 points per game and shot 41.1 percent overall after returning from his knee injury.
Injuries are always the story with Suggs. And he never fully recovered last season. He never took the next step.
The Magic struggled to find their footing. A lot of that started with Suggs.
Suggs in the crosshairs
The Orlando Magic are at a turning point for this group.
They know how impactful Jalen Suggs can be. They know what he means to the team's culture and identity. Replacing that is not so easy to do.
At the same time, the Magic need someone who can perform and deliver in the big moments. And Suggs now has two playoffs where he struggled immensely -- averaging 14.7 points per game and shooting 29.2 percent from three in the 2024 series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and 11.1 point sper game with 24.1 percent 3-point shooting in the series with the Detroit Pistons last year.
Not helping Jalen Suggs' argument is the upcoming extension for Anthony Black.
Black is expected to make more than $20 million this coming season. The Magic are already feeling the pressure from the league's onerous second apron. That kept the Magic from making moves.
But Suggs' own major contract and struggles for consistency likely depressed his trade value to a point this summer.
Suggs seems to be part of a group of guards who were worth investing in but did not live up to their contracts. Orlando seems stuck with him for better or worse.
"These $20-30 million deals for guards and wings are so interesting because you can talk yourself into all of them the moment that they happen," Zach Lowe said on The Zach Lowe Show when talking about extensions for similar players like Christian Braun, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk. "All those deals are underwater. They are underwater and untradeable. It feels easy, but it can turn bad fast."
Things have turned bad fast with Suggs.
Suggs is set to make $32.4 million this season in the second year of a five-year contract. That contract is front-loaded, alleviating some of the tension in the trade market for him. But that is also a weight on his shoulders. It is something he has to live up to.
And Suggs has not delivered to that lofty contract.
The Magic are keeping the faith. They know what Suggs can be and the impact he can have. He is a better shooter in catch-and-shoot situations. He did grow as a point guard this season.
But Orlando is feeling the pressure to win now. And that pressure falls most on Suggs.
He could be the player who changes the team's fortunes. His play could lift them to a championship level or the next round. Or he could be the player who leaves them capped out as a Play-In team.
It is a decisive season for Suggs. And everyone knows how important he could be.
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