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Suggs Grade Thus Far

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Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#1 » by orthoman » Sat Nov 27, 2021 1:41 pm

I'm curious to hear the Forum's thoughts on this one.....

When we drafted Suggs I was excited that we finally got our "star" PG. I realize the season is young and he's a rookie, but to me he's not what I had expected.

I give him a B-. I see Suggs as a good role player with a great motor, but not the star I had hoped for. Ok at alot of things, but nothing outstanding. IMO, we got a Marcus Smart-type player that has that football family line and demeanor.

For example, LaMelo Ball is light years ahead of Suggs. Ja Morant immediately became a star, etc,

Is the Forum disappointed in him?

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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#2 » by p0peye » Sat Nov 27, 2021 2:28 pm

I rather not grade him yet.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#3 » by JF5 » Sat Nov 27, 2021 3:57 pm

Way too early... But he's a project and compared to Marcus he has ALOT more tools in the Tool Box/IQ than what Smart had coming out of college.

C+ for what we expected out of him thinking he was a bit more polished as a rookie. B+ for the intangibles and prowess he he has when it comes to the effect he has on the game while being so raw.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#4 » by PrimeThyme » Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:14 pm

I’m not grading a 20 year old rookie point guard who’s on one of the youngest rosters in league history a month into the season. Let’s see what strides he makes by March.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#5 » by fendilim » Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:22 pm

7/10.

Better than average defender.

What bothers me is it is taking a lot of time for him to adjust against bigger, longer and more explosive players. His handling needs a lot of work too.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#6 » by Skybox » Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:33 pm

I'm disappointed that he wasn't as NBA-ready as expected. I wish he was a ROY candidate...but I'm completely on board with his outlook. I think the stuff he struggles with (so far) is more teachable than the stuff he brings (attitude, maturity, toughness, vision, defensive anticipation, physicals). If he was sulking or whining, I'd be less confident.

I'm not disappointed in the pick at all...B, which I expect to become a B+ later in the season.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#7 » by Catledge » Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:49 pm

At this point (based on performance to date, not projecting for the future) I think Suggs is basically an B on defense and a D- on offense, so call that a C- overall?
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#8 » by zaymon » Sat Nov 27, 2021 4:52 pm

He dissapointed me and exceeded expectations at the same time. Defensively he is propably better than advertised. Maybe a little too jumpy right now, but otherwise true point of attack stopper with good off ball instincts. He is in 93,5 percentile as a p&r defender. Thats crazy for a rookie. He is really special. That alone can make him a starter on a contender.
Offensively its bad. He is not a lead ball handler and propably never will be. I dont mind that, i never saw a star before draft. With his physical tools he can be a winning player on a good team. Wagner is so much better handling the ball i hope Suggs buys into more supplementary role (how ironic)
Overall i give him a B, becouse he showed already he can be a part of winning rotations even with his offense sucking.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#9 » by MasterGMer » Sat Nov 27, 2021 5:11 pm

I give him a B- . He is an outstanding defender and he showed flashes of potential. He just need to refine his handle and avoid live ball TOs. He has a bright future to me
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#10 » by RickB-Orlando » Sat Nov 27, 2021 5:22 pm

PrimeThyme wrote:I’m not grading a 20 year old rookie point guard who’s on one of the youngest rosters in league history a month into the season. Let’s see what strides he makes by March.


Thank you. This sort of thread is one of the real challenges with the NBA (and many sports) these days. The pressing need for instant gratification. Give the kid a year to learn the NBA nuances and adjust his game. But for injuries he likely wouldn't be getting the run time he is. Sure, we wish he was exploding, but give it some time.

INstead, how about we enjoy what our new small forward is doing and marvel at how many here bitched about that pick.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#11 » by basketballRob » Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:50 pm

I'm not going to rate him yet. I do like his physicality on both sides.

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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#12 » by thelead » Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:17 pm

C-. Those not giving grades yet is because he has been a disappointment thus far. You guys would be giving out A’s if he was producing an efficient 20/6/6 stat line so far.

My grade has nothing to do with my outlook for his future but he has been a bit disappointing so far. Specifically his handle and efficiency. I’m thankful that he had his first 50%+ shooting night last night. I’m confident that his efficiency will improve over the season. What is going to take a lot of hard work on his part is the handle. He is getting crushed when pressed by elite defenders when just bringing the ball up the court.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#13 » by 89Magicfan » Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:20 pm

Way too early for that.

Think he’s going to be a player who teams hate playing against. If he keeps that handle low, gets that shot dialed in, and the game slows down, he’s going to be a monster.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#14 » by Bensational » Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:52 pm

I think concerns over his handle are vastly overblown right now. Suggs is getting to the rim frequently every game, he’s just not converting. His looks are a lot cleaner than most of what Cole and RJ generate when they attack the paint. When the shots start falling, and I believe they will, it will take a lot of the spotlight off his handle. Suggs is also generating good looks for guys, when they’re moving into space. We’re just a young team that doesn’t always execute well with that.

I was hoping/expecting 17/5/5 from Suggs this season, and he’s obviously not there yet. I’m not going to grade him down because the shots aren’t falling though. He’s usually making smart reads and plays and that’s more valuable to me than if he were pulling moves from an And-1 mix tape.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#15 » by Kent » Sat Nov 27, 2021 9:38 pm

If someone were to cut a video of his highlights this year, it would be clear why we have such high expectations of him.

Sure, only looking at highlights will make anyone look good, but Suggs looks SPECIAL.

Those that have seen him make a no-look pass or smother a ball handler or shoot a deep 3 know what I'm talking about.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#16 » by fateis007 » Sat Nov 27, 2021 10:13 pm

Wont do it, but it's not good. He is a major project, and our 8th pick is about 10x more NBA ready.

Defensively hes already good, and has good size. Good floor on his vision/playmaking. His shooting, I am sure it will come.

But my biggest issue is his handles. they just aren't good for a lead guard. I mean he isn't racking up turn overs making bad passes, he is just losing the ball a lot. He can't handle pressure or a tough defender on him, or create offense without a pick and roll.

If he is going to live up to being a 5th pick, he needs to spend the entire summer working on his handle, no top point guard in this league doesn't have the ball on a string.

I mean id argue Wagner has better MUCH better handles at this point, and hes not even a guard. But when he's running the high pick and roll, he is 10x less likely to get stripped, fumble it, or just go running into a wall because he cant create separation with his dribbling/drives.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#17 » by drsd » Sat Nov 27, 2021 10:23 pm

fendilim wrote:7/10.

Better than average defender.

What bothers me is it is taking a lot of time for him to adjust against bigger, longer and more explosive players. His handling needs a lot of work too.


By RAPTOR, he is a top-10% defender in this league, and is Orlando's best defender. And that is all with him playing out of position.

I cannot grade him yet, but he (and F-Wagner) are clearly future multi-year NBA starters. That's gotta be worth a passing grade.


..
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#18 » by RichCollab » Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:03 pm

I will play along. C

I thought Jalen was quicker, had better handles and a better decision maker with the ball in his hands.

I don’t see his quickness improving which will make being a star a challenge. I’m very hopeful his decision making will improve the most and be an advantage.

That leaves his handles. This developing will be key to him being a pg or just a guard.

I see his ceiling a B this year with his 2nd season being revealing to what he will become. I see multi-year all-star as best outcome possible.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#19 » by KillMonger » Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:17 pm

B- the defense is what nets him the majority of my grade, he's ahead of the curve in that regard... Very satisfied with his defense and his effort on that end of the floor..... The turnovers I expected so nothing to touch on there... The offense needs a lot of work, but he's shown me enough flashes on that end of the floor so far.... He'll be fine, I think he'll struggle in the first half of the season then finish strong the second half sorta like Cole did his rookie year.
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Re: Suggs Grade Thus Far 

Post#20 » by Catledge » Sun Nov 28, 2021 12:46 am

Bensational wrote:I think concerns over his handle are vastly overblown right now. Suggs is getting to the rim frequently every game, he’s just not converting. His looks are a lot cleaner than most of what Cole and RJ generate when they attack the paint. When the shots start falling, and I believe they will, it will take a lot of the spotlight off his handle. Suggs is also generating good looks for guys, when they’re moving into space. We’re just a young team that doesn’t always execute well with that.

I was hoping/expecting 17/5/5 from Suggs this season, and he’s obviously not there yet. I’m not going to grade him down because the shots aren’t falling though. He’s usually making smart reads and plays and that’s more valuable to me than if he were pulling moves from an And-1 mix tape.


At this point, I'd be happy to see him do that on good efficiency in his second year.

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