Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic embracing leadership, playmaking responsibilities

At the end of the Orlando Magic's practice on Friday, the team huddled near mid-court. According to Jalen Suggs, it was not the team's best practice during this first week together. It is not that the energy or competitiveness slipped or that they did not accomplish what they needed. But something was off.

Something was not up to standard.

Suggs was among the key players who spoke to the team in that huddle reminding them of what they are working toward and the standard they are trying to set. Everyone knows what is out there in front of them.

And that might be the biggest point and the biggest lesson. This is what accountability looks like: The team taking ownership of its mistakes, discussing how they can be better.

Everyone looks to the key players for leadership, obviously. And both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have vowed to speak up more as those leaders on the team.

The team knows it needs a player to step up into this leadership role not only for these moments but on the court.

One of the bigger questions facing the Magic immediately is who takes on that leadership role as the main playmaker. Who becomes that "table-setter" that everyone felt so necessary for the Magic?

All eyes have been on Jalen Suggs to fill that role and step into those shoes. He is the nominal point guard in the lineup and is expected to make a major leap in his playmaking and creation to help ease the burden on the Magic's stars. He is expected to be a calming force for the team to get them organized.

Jalen Suggs takes over the point guard mantle

Whether he wants it or not, Jalen Suggs feels the pressure the entire Magic season might hinge upon. It is something everyone has to step into. But Suggs is embracing this expanded role far more prominently than others.

The Orlando Magic will be asking some new things from Suggs that he did not have to do last year.

Suggs had a breakthrough season last year, averaging 12.6 points per game and shooting 39.7 percent from three. He made his mark especially on defense, getting named to the All-Defensive Second Team.

More importantly, Suggs was healthy. He did not have the major setback injuries that slowed him down in his first two seasons limiting him to 48 and 53 games. Appearing in 73 games last year was a major victory.

But Suggs did not act or play like a point guard, even if he was nominally the point guard by the time the season ended. He averaged only 2.7 assists per game and 45.8 touches per game, virtually the same number as Cole Anthony, who came off the bench.

As Suggs tries to fill this new responsibility, he is reminding himself not to change what got him here and what made the team successful.

It is unproven territory seeing Suggs step into this role. And something he is learning as much as anybody else is.

"Just because you are taking on new things doesn't mean you have to be somebody [else]," Suggs said after practice Friday. "I think that's a big thing I'm trying to emphasize to myself. You don't have to be anything else or do anything extraordinary. Just continue to be precise in our decision-making and get down to the details of things. Understanding what we're doing more than switching anything up. I've been learning a lot about myself, about my teammates and more about the game."

There are a lot of nuances that he and the rest of the team will have to teach. It is about how Suggs learns to manage games and keep everyone in the right spots. It is knowing when to slow the game down to make sure the team gets a good shot and when to speed things up.

There is a lot a point guard has to manage. And while this responsibility will be shared, Suggs will have a lot of this on his plate.

It is why he is constantly talking with coach Jamahl Mosley and getting extra time studying film. It is why Suggs has a larger voice with this team than perhaps he did last year.

Suggs is certainly proactively trying to find his niche within that role.

"It's just constant dialogue," Mosley said after practice Friday. "Today was another great example of it. There were three or four turnovers, and he comes over and we have a conversation on the sideline to say this is where I can settle us down, here is where I can put in a play in, here is where I can get guys in the right spots. I think it's those small pieces that will continue to help his growth as well as our growth to help set the table for each guy out there."

Suggs is not alone at point guard

Of course, it is not just about Jalen Suggs taking on the point guard role. With the Orlando Magic's overall philosophy, every player has some of the ball-handling responsibility.

Even president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman pushed back on the notion the team needed a traditional point guard. The team does not want to take the ball out of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's hands too often. The two 6-foot-10 playmaking forwards is what makes this team unique.

Everyone is going to have their part to play in managing the team and keeping them on task. And everyone is going to have to learn how to keep the team on task.

And training camp is emphasizing all of the playmaking the Magic have. It is part of what they are trying to build on offense.

"We have so many dudes capable," Cole Anthony said after practice Friday. "Franz and [Paolo] are going to shoot the ball better. I think they shoot it a lot better than their numbers were last year. I think with having Jalen as a playmaker, I can playmake, Wendell [Carter] can playmake. We have so many versatile dudes on this team and unselfish dudes that especially this upcoming year we'll shoot it better and just be a better overall offensive team."

It is not just a one-player responsibility. It is why so much of the emphasis for training camp has been on communication and keeping everyone on the same page on both ends of the floor. Even though there is a lot of continuity, everyone has to find how they fit in again.

Anthony said Suggs has looked more comfortable as a decision-maker. As you would expect a young player with confidence, Suggs has taken a step forward. Of course, the Magic are asking something new of him and there will be growing pains. That is only natural.

Suggs is not alone in handling those added duties, but undoubtedly he will be the one with the most attention on him. He has taken steps to be the table-setter the Magic appeared to need. The coaching staff it seems is putting emphasis with him and Suggs is working to step up to that responsibility.

Many players are feeling the leadership responsibility to elevate this team every practice.

The team will learn a lot more about where it stands and how far it is when it opens the preseason Monday afternoon against the New Orleans Pelicans.

They are embracing the challenge, it seems. Everyone is. And as much as anything, that leadership is what the Magic are trying to build in camp.