The first thing everyone had to get used to when Jalen Suggs returns was all of his quirks.
The biggest one to start the season was what he was doing with his headband.
Suggs has been wearing his headband around his neck to open games before it slowly migrates to his forehead.
Suggs explained after shootaround Friday that it was just him. He started doing it in training camp. He said it orginated as "football drip" and his football days. He said once he is into the game and is into the flow, he moves it to his forehead, where it is meant to be worn.
It is just J-Suggs.
He is going to do some things that seem a bit silly. It is part of the joy and boisterousness he brings to the game. He gives the team some personality and some edge.
For all that may come with Suggs -- and there is far more good -- the Magic are very happy to have it all back after Suggs missed the second half of last season with an uncommon knee injury that required surgery.
The Magic are getting more of Suggs now as his minutes begin to ramp up. And they are very happy about it.
"We've got good synergy," Paolo Banchero said after the Orlando Magic's loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. "When Jalen is out there he makes so many plays on both sides of the ball. I wish he could play 40. Whenever he is back to feeling 100 percent, we'll be ready. He's a big difference maker."
Suggs is averaging 22.1 minutes per game while still not playing in the second night of back to backs. He is averaging 12.5 points per game, about the same as he averaged in the 2024 season.
Suggs is shooting a career-best 65.4 percent effective field goal percentage, hitting on 40.0 percent of his 4.5 3-point attempts per game.
Suggs has become a willing and solid three-point option for the Magic.
What they are excited about is that his playing time has continued to increase. And the Magic have needed more of him.
Suggs played around 20 minutes in his first seven games. But in his last three, Suggs played 28:39 in the loss to the Boston Celtics, 26:23 in the win over the New York Knicks and 28:13 in the win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Magic needed all of it to help try to get those wins.
But for the long term, seeing Suggs on the floor for this extended period is a good sign of his health. Everyone is happy to see him playing more.
No one is more excited to do more than Suggs, even as he waits for the clearance to do even more.
"I'm just really excited to play basketball," Suggs said after shootaround Friday. "I haven't asked any questions. I don't know when I'm playing or where I'm going. [Jamahl Mosley] has had a good line of communication in terms of the rotation he wants to run and the stretch he wants to put me in.
"I just want to hoop to be honest. I've enjoyed being on the court again. Being in these spaces, playing games, starting to build up physically more endurance, mentally being locked in for longer stretches of games. For me, it's just fun. I'll take any time I can get on the court."
But Suggs' impact is also abundantly clear.
The Magic have a team-best +18.3 net rating with Suggs on the floor, including a stellar 101.4 defensive rating. Even with the magic struggling in Friday's win over the Nets, the Magic had a 93.0 defensive rating and were +11 with Suggs on the floor.
Suggs' energy and intensity are very real. It is pretty much measurable.
Suggs remains a disruptive and energetic defender who raises everyone's level around him. He is constantly prodding and poking at opposing players. He is someone nobody wants to deal with for the 48 minutes they are on the court playing against the Magic.
He sets a real tone for the team.
Increasingly it is on both ends where Suggs is not merely the head of the snake on defense but someone who can organize and get the team into its sets on offense. Suggs has become a two-way player for this team, coming up with big plays on both ends to help them turn their season around.
"I think there is just a poise about him," Mosley said after shootaround Friday. "His ability to pace the floor and get guys in the right position. Defensively, you are able to see him turn it up. He is the head of the snake for us. Him being able to do that without the restrictions has been better and better each game."
Suggs still has work to do.
He is still liable for some rushed shots and silly plays -- a behind-the-back pass to no one in the corner or hitting the side of the backboard after turning around to the bench after he fired a thre from the corner.
Suggs averages 3.0 turnovers per game, the same as he did in his rough rookie season. He also averages a career-high 3.5 fouls per game.
Suggs still plays like he is playing in shorter spurts, going all out and sometimes out of control, knowing his playing time is limited.
But that intensity is what makes Suggs a special player. It is why he is this team's heartbeat and why the Magic are so eager to get him playing at full strength.
Suggs is essentially back. He appears to be playing with few restrictions, beyond not playing in back-to-backs (the Magic's next back-to-back is next weekend when the Orlando Magic play the New York Knicks at Kia Center on Saturday and then travel to face the Boston Celtics on Sunday).
The Magic are happy and eager to get as much Suggs as they can as they continue to develop.