Suggs could still contribute offensively. His 3-point shot was streaky but developing consistency. And he was excellent in the open court.<\/p>\n
Like so many things, Suggs is still putting all the pieces together. Injuries have slowed him down throughout his career. But he still is trying to prove he can be a performer at the highest levels.<\/p>\n
As the Magic continue to transition from a rebuilding team to one competing for a championship, Suggs’ play has been in the spotlight more and more. <\/p>\n
He struggled to give the Magic a big offensive boost in the seven-game series with the Detroit Pistons. He completed a very inconsistent season as the team’s lead ball-handler and point guard, despite his relative health.<\/p>\n
A central question for this offseason is what the Magic do with Suggs and whether a new coach can unlock him or rein in some of the struggles that have defined his career. Or whether Jalen Suggs becomes like Marcus Smart, a sacrifice to a team trying to improve that does not fit what the team needs to succeed ultimately.<\/p>\n
How the Magic answer the Suggs question and evaluate his season and how he fits with the new coach will determine what kind of offseason they have.<\/p>\n
Suggs is in the crosshairs for everything this offseason<\/a>.<\/p>\n An up-and-down season<\/p>\n It is hard to pin down what to say about Jalen Suggs’ season.<\/p>\n He started the year on a minute restriction recovering from knee surgery that required a more complex rehab after missing more than half of the 2025 season. He played 57 games this year, the second-most in his career, and dealt with a hip and knee injury in December and January.<\/p>\n Suggs finished the year averaging 13.8 points per game, the second-most of his career, and a career-best 5.5 assists per game. He shot 43.5 percent from the floor and 33.9 percent from three on 6.3 attempts per game, the most on the team this year.<\/p>\n Suggs’ offensive inconsistencies included his first career triple-double<\/a> and a 26-point showing at the NBA Cup semifinal<\/a>, but is also included five games with five or more turnovers, including two with six. Suggs would at times be the poised under-control guard the Magic needed and then wildly all over the place and trying to hit home runs when singles would do.<\/p>\n Many of the Magic’s worst runs came with Suggs turning the ball over or taking quick shots trying to get the team back in one shot.<\/p>\n The problems became more pronounced in the playoffs. And that is the time that matters most.<\/p>\n Suggs averaged only 11.1 points per game and 4.1 assists per game against 3.0 turnovers per game in the series with the Detroit Pistons. He shot 24.1 percent on 7.7 3-point attempts per game, including shooting a combined 3 for 15 in the final three games. He was 1 for 11 in the Game 4 victory.<\/p>\n It is clear that Suggs was the player the Pistons realized they could leave open and a better shooting performance would greatly change the Magic’s fortunes.<\/p>\n As they consider how to advance deeper into the Playoffs that is ringing clearly in their heads.<\/p>\n For every good thing Suggs did, there was a big moment or a big game where Suggs failed to deliver or completely disappeared — he scored 23 total points in the team’s final three games.<\/p>\n It has left Suggs at a major crossroads.<\/p>\n Undeniable impact<\/p>\n The simple move for the offseason might be to move Jalen Suggs and find a more stable point guard. <\/p>\n Suggs’ front-loaded contract extension has him at a $32.4 million salary for the 2027 season. If the Magic have a big splash to make this offseason, it would be in trading Suggs.<\/p>\n The Magic cannot avoid that possibility this offseason.<\/p>\n They also cannot avoid the reality that Suggs is as impactful and important as any player on the roster. When he is at full bore on defense and making threes, the Magic are a completely different team.<\/p>\n They are a team that can compete at the top of the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n During the regular season, the Magic had a team-best +5.2 net rating with Suggs on the floor, with a 108.4 defensive rating. The Magic were only better defensively with Jonathan Isaac on the floor among their rotation players.<\/p>\n Other parts of his game showed promising signs throughout the season too.<\/p>\n Suggs led the team with 3.8 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game and shot a decent 39.2 percent on those shots. Even though he is not a natural point guard, he had the best passing season of his career.<\/p>\n Everyone knows the energy and intensity Suggs brings on defense. He is an all-defensive team-level defender. That is not a player or a person to discard so quickly.<\/p>\n
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