Jalen Suggs is Awesome

 As a Raptors fan, every time I try to compliment Jalen Suggs to my friends I get blowback with people screaming at me that Scottie Barnes is better. I don't even disagree, I think Scottie is a really great talent and has the potential to be a superstar in the league. For those who don't remember, in the 2021 draft, the Raptors, picking 4th, were universally expected to select Jalen Suggs. The team went another way surprising everyone in picking Scottie Barnes. So far Scottie has looked like the correct pick and in a redraft, Scottie might even go first overall. This is all fine and well, but today I want to talk about how good Jalen Suggs has become. He may not have been the clear cut #4 pick like everyone thought, but he has turned himself into a flat out awesome NBA player. 


Crack-head energy. There's few guys in the league that play with such an abundance of energy that it is felt by everyone on the floor. Suggs has absolutely no problem getting right up into an offensive player disrupting the dribble. He spends entire games talking smack and getting into opponents heads. He celebrates positive plays harder than anyone else on the team. All of these factors are intangibles that feeds a young Orlando Magic team energy helping them win games. Last season he was awarded with the honor of all-NBA second team. With guards like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White still kicking around, the title for best defensive guard might seem elusive, but I believe another year or two and we might be talking about Jalen Suggs alone at that mountain top. 


His offense isn't even bad anymore! It was lamented for a long time that Suggs struggled to shoot the ball. Fair enough too, he shot 21% on threes in his first season and slightly better but still bad 32% in his second year. Last season though in 75 games Suggs shot 40% on over 5 attempts a game. A strong shooting season on real volume. I've long said in my circles that the Magic really only are lacking a guard who can shoot off the dribble, maybe Suggs can take over and become that guy. 


I don't really have much else to say here, I just think Suggs is the type of NBA player any team would love to have. His on-court production is ticking towards awesome territory but I think his #1 skill is bringing energy to his teammates. His will to win is as strong as anyone's in the league and that type of thing is contagious. I will make the bold proclamation right now, no team with Jalen Suggs on it will miss the playoffs as long as he's still a productive NBA player. 


Happy Monday everyone! 

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