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3. So, umm, what exactly is Jalen Suggs?
Suggs has played 72 games, so it's too soon to really worry. But even amid early-career hiccups, it's nice to watch a young player and think: I can see what this guy will be on a good team. That's hard to do with Suggs.

He's averaging six dimes per 36 minutes, but he's not quite a point guard. Suggs shares the floor with either Markelle Fultz or Cole Anthony, and those guys run the show (along with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.) On a lot of possessions, Suggs is barely involved -- off to the side in a spot-up role. He's not well-suited for that role right now; Suggs is 68-of-291 career (23.4%) from deep. No one guards him out there.

That shaky jumper limits Suggs' viability as a point guard. Defenders duck screens against him, walling off the paint and allowing help defenders to stay home.

Lots of point guards -- including Fultz -- face the same strategy. Some beat it with sheer speed -- winning the race to the spot underneath the screen. But it's hard to do that every time. You need craft -- changes of pace, shoulder fakes, the ability to bob and weave behind successive screens. Fultz has that. Suggs doesn't -- yet.

He's a full-speed-ahead player. That works in transition, where his passing shines. In the half-court, he sometimes sprints ahead of teammates.

Orlando drafted Wagner three spots after Suggs, so there's a no-harm, no-foul element if Suggs ends up underperforming expectations. (The Magic surely notice Josh Giddey -- No. 6 -- thriving in Oklahoma City.) We're a long way from final judgment. Time will bring clarity.

Skybox wrote:A lot of parallels to Marcus Smart. Drafted as a PG. Wasn't exactly a PG until recently - with a lot of "I told you so's". Either one could pair nicely with a scoring PG (who maybe lags a bit on D)

fendilim wrote:

Skybox wrote:A lot of parallels to Marcus Smart. Drafted as a PG. Wasn't exactly a PG until recently - with a lot of "I told you so's". Either one could pair nicely with a scoring PG (who maybe lags a bit on D)

Tatum - banchero
Brown - franz
Smart - suggs
Brogdon - fultz
Horford - wcj

Skybox wrote:

fendilim wrote:

Skybox wrote:A lot of parallels to Marcus Smart. Drafted as a PG. Wasn't exactly a PG until recently - with a lot of "I told you so's". Either one could pair nicely with a scoring PG (who maybe lags a bit on D)

Tatum - banchero
Brown - franz
Smart - suggs
Brogdon - fultz
Horford - wcj

that's actually pretty spot on except for Brogdon being a very good shooter. Isaac maybe is TimeLord-ish defensive minded big. They're big 2 are better today, but I wouldn't think they, Brown in particular, were as good as ours at the same age/year in the league. You could also argue that our 7-12 bench depth compares pretty favorably although Williams and White are better than any of ours individually.

I'm not crazy, BOS is awesome - maybe best in the league. It's just a nice exercise to objectively (?) see that we're definitely getting there.

MagicMatic wrote:Lowe pretty much saying he shouldn’t be sharing the floor with Fultz or Cole for all the reasons people here have illustrated.

Suggs has been noticeably better this season compared to last. He shows flashes sometimes as being a great playmaker and potentially elite defensive player.

Ralof wrote:Playing Suggs +30 minutes right now would be detrimental for his own health,until he changes that style of play.

eyriq wrote:I agree Suggs is a keeper. I don't know that being the 8th man is ideal for him and his development though. I think he needs to supplant Fultz or Cole at some point soon or his long-term window starts closing. Houstan is coming for Suggs' current role I think.

Magic_Kingdom wrote:Wasted top-5 pick in a loaded draft. Even his biggest fans have to admit he’s been a huge disappointment. The fact that Giddey was taken with the next pick just makes it worse.