Orlando Magic: 3 important goals for Jalen Suggs this season

Orlando Magic goals for Jalen Suggs: 1. Win Rookie of the Year

Why not aim for the stars with this one. As loaded as this draft class looks to be, there’s no reason Suggs can’t be in the mix to win this award. He isn’t starting out as the favorite, but as is so often the case he could have the right combination of timing, opportunity and narrative in order to swoop in and take the award.

In terms of timing, the Magic might actually be not as bad as people think this year. They’re going under the radar as they always do if they don’t have a superstar on their roster, but flirting with the play-in tournament after Christmas is not completely out of the question. Even if it is not to be expected at this point. Things change quickly in the NBA, and Suggs could benefit.

The opportunity is obvious. Despite what we’ve mentioned above, Suggs is still going to get all the time to show what he can do on the court. He looks like a guy who can score in all manner of ways, and ever since the departure of Nikola Vucevic there has been a hole in the scoring where his roughly 20 points a night would go.

Others are going to chip in as well, but with scoring taking precedence over all other areas to casual fans in terms of how good a player is, Suggs could stand to benefit here as well. Throw in some tasty assists to the big guys, and a defensive highlight that is sure to become a highlight for him, and Suggs is onto a winning formula.

Finally and most importantly, the narrative. It is right there in front of our eyes. Suggs was expected to be selected in the top four, with some thinking he should have gone higher. The Toronto Raptors had the chance to take him fourth and… opted for Scottie Barnes instead. It was just the kind of draft luck the Magic needed, after years of being on the outside looking in at the very top prospects getting drafted.

We already know Suggs has a chip on his shoulder, but if he has an impressive start to life in the league and then a highlight-filled game against the Raptors, it will go a long way to helping him win this award. The fact the Magic even have a player who could win personal hardware this year is huge, and further proof that they are headed in the right direction. Now, it is over to Suggs.