What Will His Shooting Percentages Look Like By Season’s End?
Jalen Suggs’ shooting numbers have been all over the map so far in his career. Last season, he shot it way better from the mid-range than he had in prior seasons and his efficiency on floaters significantly improved. However, his pull-up 3-point percentage and efficiency around the basket slipped. Perhaps the mark to really circle this season is Suggs’ 3-point percentage in transition. Last year, that mark was at 31.1 percent, a 12-percent drop from the prior two years combined. As a team in 2025-26, the Magic shot 34.5 percent from downtown in transition, which ranked 27th in the league. Being able to knock down threes at a reasonably high clip while on the move after getting stops or forcing turnovers is something the best teams excelled at last season (Nuggets, Hawks, Thunder, Spurs, Celtics and Knicks were all top 11 in this category).
Can Magic Rise Again in Points Off Turnovers Category?
In the 2023-24 season, a year in which Suggs appeared in 75 games, the Magic ranked second in scoring off turnovers. Last year, they slipped down to 12th in this category. Now it’s important to note that the number of points Orlando scored off turnovers in both these seasons was about the same (18.6 in 2023-24 and 18.5 in 2025-26). However, that’s mainly because more teams prioritize it now than they did a few seasons ago. Nonetheless, if Orlando is going to rise in this area again, it’s going to likely be because of Suggs’ ball pressure on defense and his instincts and anticipation leading to more deflections and steals. Few are better at this than him, so it’s just a matter of him getting after it, night in and night out.
Will His Overall Impact on Winning From Last Season Be Replicated This Year?
Suggs had the Magic’s best plus-minus last season. The Magic outscored their opponents by a team-best 181 points. Their defensive rating with him on was 108.4, second behind Jonathan Isaac. When he was off the floor, their rating on that end was a team-worst 115.5. Meanwhile, their offensive rating with him on was 113.6 and it was 112.7 with him off. So, it’s clear just how much of a difference he made when he was on the floor versus when he wasn’t. Obviously, him staying healthy will be paramount for this to be replicated again this year. The last two years combined, he’s missed 72 games.
Stats Sources: Second Spectrum, Stathead and NBA.com Stats
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