Orlando Magic: 3 reasons Jalen Suggs will win Rookie of the Year
By Luke Duffy
Reasons Jalen Suggs can win Rookie of the Year: 2. The talent
It should be remembered that Suggs was thought of as one of the top four players in the draft, which was why the Magic’s fifth pick was never meant to be able to get him. Even at that, there were plenty of experts who had Suggs as better than some of the guys in that group of four.
As an exciting guard in his one year at Gonzaga, he already looks to have so many of the tools that will make him a success in the league, and with this current Magic roster especially. That talent is also among the most easily translatable when it comes to making a case that he should win the award, assuming he plays to the level he is capable of.
If we again take Cunningham out of the mix (making a case of Suggs versus Cunningham just doesn’t seem possible before a ball has been bounced), then Suggs certainly has the more exciting game compared to Scottie Barnes. As already noted, the narrative between the two comes into play there as well.
Barnes will likely suffer from the same issue that Isaac did when he was a rookie with the Magic (before being injured). Solid defensive skills in your first year are amazing for a team to have, but it just doesn’t grab the attention of the mass media and more casual fans. Highlight dunks on TikTok however, absolutely will. To that end, Suggs is in a great place.
Centers who don’t dominate physically from day one also don’t trend strongly for winning the award. For good reason, as physically dominant rookie centers are typically transcendent types. So Evan Mobley, the third pick, will start behind Suggs in this conversation. He will likely go on to have a great career, but it seems more likely Suggs will burst out of the gates.
It is possible the second pick, Jalen Green, has a similar start to Suggs and captures the imagination. As part of a Houston Rockets team that is going to get buried in the Western Conference, and which already has some established players who want touches, however, it may be harder for Green. Mostly though Suggs is just that good, but he has circumstance on his side.