The Orlando Magic turned the corner last season and had one of the toughest teams on both sides of the floor.
With the team’s old-school offense and gritty defense, head coach Jamahl Mosley has big expectations for his team this year. Not to mention the high hopes placed on the Magic’s players.
“The eye test will provide favorable support for (Jalen) Suggs' numbers," Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes writes. "He's undeniably disruptive on the ball, swipes steals at a top-10-percentile clip, and is perhaps the hardest guard to screen in the league.”
“If Suggs simply puts up a season like he did in 2023-24 but gets more notice as the broader voting body recognizes his impact, he should finish among the top five. All it'll take from there is a little misfortune for a couple of the front-runners, and Suggs will have a real shot at this award.”
Suggs was drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Gonzaga product showed potential as a two-way threat in his lone season in college. However, the guard's offensive game remains a work in progress as he enters his fourth season in Orlando.
Fortunately for the team, the 23-year-old has shown tremendous upside on the defensive end. Averaging 1.3 steals per game during his NBA career, Suggs has already earned an All-NBA Defensive Team honor.
Entering next season, the former lottery pick will be a dark horse candidate to bring home one of the most prestigious awards in the league.
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