Orlando Magic: 3 reasons Jalen Suggs will win Rookie of the Year
By Luke Duffy
It has most certainly flown under the radar, but this has been a solid offseason for the Orlando Magic. They drafted two top-10 lottery picks in Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner, and watched as their young core came together early to work out, hang out and generally enjoy each other’s company.
The injured duo of Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz is closer to returning, and new head coach Jamahl Mosley has said all of the right things in preparation for the new season. All of this needs to be remembered by the time Christmas comes round because the Magic will have lost a lot of games by then.
The Orlando Magic have a rookie in Jalen Suggs who has already generated excitement, and who has a real chance at winning the Rookie of the Year award.
The fact that the Magic even have a player in this conversation already is exciting. Since 2012, no player that they have drafted has ever been talked about in this way. There are external factors that influence this as well, such as being in a class with a can’t miss superstar who got selected first overall by another organization.
But even still, this is an opportunity for Suggs to put the franchise back on the map by going hard after that award. If you look at who the Magic have drafted since 2012, Victor Oladipo was the highest as the second overall pick in 2013, and who realistically had the best chance to win the award as well.
Anthony Bennett was taken ahead of him, and he is no longer in the league. Instead, it was, rather ironically, another current Magic player in Michael Carter-Williams who ended up receiving the honor. Proof if anything that winning the award doesn’t always mean much (you can also Tyreke Evans), but nevertheless it should be a goal for Suggs this year. Here are three reasons he can succeed.