3 Skills Jalen Suggs must bring to the starting point guard spot in 2024-25

2. His usual pesky defense 

Jalen Suggs' biggest strength is his defense, and he embodies what the Magic are all about. Last season, Orlando established itself as a gritty and strong defensive team, finishing the season with one of the best defensive ratings in the league. 

Suggs is the heart and soul of that defense. He fights over every screen he possibly can, never gives up on a possession, and does all the little things. Without him, the Magic likely wouldn't be the same defensively. 

Defense also seems to be one of the reasons the Magic didn't go out and get a traditional point guard. None of the players available would have fit the team's defensive identity, and the front office seems set to not move away from what made them so good last season. 

So, Suggs has to keep doing what he did so well last season. The Magic might still struggle to score, but that is much less of a problem if they can keep opponents from putting up big numbers as well. 

Adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the mix should only make the Magic better defensively. He and Suggs could very well be one of the best defensive backcourts in the league, and The Ringer's Michael Pina predicted that the Magic might take over as the league's best defensive team next season. 

That all starts with Suggs at the point of attack.