Orlando Magic: Jalen Suggs was always going to struggle

Orlando Magic rookie Jalen Suggs has no shortage of confidence

As David Steele recently pointed out during his popular “Is this anything?” segment, there haven’t been many people to be named Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football in a state in the same year. Jalen Suggs has.

He also made the NCAA championship game with Gonzaga, so he’s clearly used to being the main guy. To be averaging 12 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting an ugly 30.9 percent from the field and 22 percent from deep can’t have been the start to life in the NBA that he envisioned.

But this is exactly why we shouldn’t worry. Suggs is playing for a first-year head coach in Jamahl Mosley who is also trying to figure a lot of things out as he goes. He is being given every opportunity and is chucking up 5.4 attempts from deep per game. The willingness to shoot the ball and make winning plays has not wavered at all.

The perfect illustration of this came in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the start of the month. This was a homecoming for Suggs, having grown up and gone to school in the area, and he played like it. He was desperate to have himself a big game, and while his 15 points certainly helped, he did this while committing five turnovers and forcing the issue a lot.

The 5-14 he shot from the field and 1-6 from deep were a microcosm of his season as a whole so far, but that desire to get involved and his unwavering enthusiasm were brilliant. Those shots will begin to fall, and soon. Suggs already looks like a multi-level scorer, he just needs to find the consistency to do so.

The reintroduction of Fultz may complicate things, but for now, there is no reason to panic. Jalen Suggs is playing the way most rookies before him have. Even Wagner is likely to have a slump of his own after his hot start. That’s just the way it goes for youngsters. Reserve any judgment for later in the season, and be patient in waiting for the inevitable Suggs breakthrough.