2024-25 will be most important season of Jalen Suggs' young career

Last season was a big one in Orlando. Paolo Banchero made his first All-Star appearance. Franz Wagner averaged career highs despite his shooting struggles. Jalen Suggs made his first All-Defensive Second Team. Jonathan Isaac played his most games in a season since 2018-19. The cherry on top was the Magic making the playoffs and pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games.

The Magic were ahead of schedule. Now, they won't surprise anyone, and expectations for the 2024-25 season are much bigger. Orlando added a championship-caliber role player when they signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and decided to rely on their defensive identity rather than messing with the roster to improve the offense. 

While most reviews of the Magic's offseason have been positive—except for the max extension they gave Franz Wagner—Orlando is taking risks. They did not add any impactful playmaking, deciding to rely on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner once again and hoping for improvement from Jalen Suggs. 

Suggs took a huge leap last season. He shot the three well, was relatively healthy, and established himself as one of the top perimeter defenders in the league. It was a crucial year for him because he finally showed what he could be as an NBA player. 

The 2024-25 season will be even more important for Suggs 

The 2024-25 season looks like it will be the most important campaign of Suggs' young NBA career. Orlando is looking to take yet another step forward and get closer to being the Eastern Conference contender most fans see in the Magic's future. A lot of that will hinge on Suggs' play and improvement. 

Even after adding Caldwell-Pope and rookie Tristan da Silva, the Magic do not have a lot of 3-point shooting or offensive firepower. Paolo Banchero needs to be surrounded by reliable volume shooters. Last season, Suggs was the only Magic player who shot four or more threes per game and hit close to 40 percent. In 2024-25, he needs to prove that this kind of shooting is sustainable for him. It is a crucial part of establishing himself as a high-level 3-and-D player for the rest of his career. 

If he cannot replicate the same kind of shooting, it could cause a lot of trouble for the Magic. A lack of spacing was their Achilles heel on offense last season. This summer was all about improving that, but if Suggs takes a step backward and Wagner can't fix his shooting, the Magic will be right back where they started. 

At the same time, Suggs will be expected to add some secondary playmaking as the nominal starting point guard. So far, Suggs has not been an impressive creator at the NBA level, and this upcoming season will be an important learning experience. 

If the Magic cannot rely on internal improvement from their point guards, they might very well have to make a trade they would prefer not to make to add someone who can facilitate and get some easy shots for Banchero and Wagner. Much of this hinges on Suggs taking a step forward as a playmaker and creator. 

2024-25 is not only a chance for Suggs to prove that he is on the right track in his development but also an important year for the team's journey to becoming a contender.  

So far, Suggs and the Magic have not agreed on a contract extension yet. They still have until the beginning of the 2024-25 season to get a new deal done, but might also decide to wait until next summer. If Suggs feels he is worth more than the Magic are currently willing to offer and wants to prove it, the latter is not unlikely to happen. In that case, the 2024-25 season would become even more important for Suggs.