Ever since draft night, Magic fans have been counting the days until Jalen Suggs would don his Orlando Magic jersey in-game. The idea of watching our future franchise cornerstone play for us for the first time is what kept us on Cloud 9. It seemed as if our draft night home run would not truly feel real until we watched him play as part of the squad. 

To put it lightly, his debut certainly did not disappoint. In fact, it had basketball media in a frenzy. After his debut, Jalen Suggs was the number four trending topic in all of America (Twitter) just after one summer league game. For those who not get to tune in, here is a quick synopsis of the first night in Vegas.

Jalen Suggs

Again, I cannot stress this enough— Jalen Suggs is our guy. Mr. Magic has come to town and we cannot be happier. If he continues this stellar level of play he should without question be a starter and key piece of our offense night in and night out next season. 

Let’s take a look at what exactly made him so special during his Vegas debut:

Positives:

This game was his: When watching this game, there is no doubt in mind that Jalen was the best player on the floor at all times. He dominated offensively and somehow did even better defensively. He made nearly all the right reads, was active on the glass (9 rebounds) and had quick hands on the defensive end (2 steals). The kid from Gonzaga looked like a vet instead of a rookie. A perfect word to describe his current game? Polished. 

Clutch factor: Once again, Suggs showed some of that clutch gene that many Gonzaga fans are familiar with. With the game tied at 83, Cole Anthony turned the ball over, which quickly led to a 2-on-1 fast-break with Kyle Guy leading the charge. Suggs paced himself and forced the pass to Moody. At this point many thought Moody had an easy score. Suggs thought otherwise. He leaps straight up with Moody and denied his shot right at the rim, showcasing his elite athleticism and defensive tenacity. After a contested miss at the rim in the final seconds, the game went to overtime and Suggs scored four more points in the extra period to seal the game for the Magic. Magic fans, this is undoubtedly the man who deserves his ball in his hands when the game is on the line.

Confidence: Suggs had every bit of confidence while on the floor, only furthering his campaign to come into the NBA as a first option on this team. His “it” factor seeps its way into his play style. At the start of the game, Jalen got off to a hot start, sinking his first mid range shot and first three point shot attempt of his career in back to back possessions. He was not afraid to drive to the hole, attempt crafty layups and finish strong at the rim. Fans definitely got a glimpse of his elite potential throughout the game. During the latter moments of the game, he called for the ball and pleaded with coach Mosley to give him the green light. I would not be surprised if he becomes the face of the franchise in less than a year. He’s got it.

Negatives:

Trigger Happy?:  In just 28 minutes, Suggs attempted 22 shots. I understand why there would be some worry with this many shot attempts and only making 40% of them, but that concern can be put to bed very easily when you consider the circumstances. Summer league is an opportunity for rookies to shake off their pre-NBA season jitters and get acclimated to the environment, and as a top 5 pick it would not make sense if he did not have some sort of spotlight on him. In his very first game in a faster paced league, Coach Mose had Jalen as the number one option the majority of the time. He facilitated and many times his teammates did not capitalize when he provided them with an  open shot. After a certain amount of missed opportunities, obviously a talented scorer like himself would like to take matters into his own hands. With time, these shots will fall and Suggs will likely blossom into a prolific scorer should he continue to play with this level of confidence.

Franz Wagner:

Alas, it seems with every Magic success comes a magical letdown. Let’s take a look at what struggles Wagner experienced during the game and also the small amount of good found in the bad.

Positives:

Intangibles:  When looking at the box score, most would depict Wagner’s debut as extremely underwhelming. To some extent, that assumption is correct, as Wagner shot 25% from the field and 0-6 from behind the arc. Shot after shot, they just were not falling for him and the nerves never really shook off for Franz. Luckily he had multiple smart defensive reads, being quick to jump onto his defender and was above average at containing the Warriors’ rookie Jonathan Kuminga. He also shook off defenders to make cuts to the rim and continuously hustled in transition. 

Negatives:

Demeanor: Wagner looked extremely lost on the floor, uncertain of his role and unprepared for the NBA pace. He certainly was not confident in his first summer league game and did not improve as time went on. Despite having played more time than Suggs, he only scored 5 points on 2 of 8 shooting from the field. He took multiple jump shots but still lacked that spark of aggression needed to get to the rim and draw contact.

Shooting Slump: Coming into this game, many expected Wagner to at least knock down a couple from behind the arc. Unfortunately, this was not the case.  At many times, Franz was given a great look at a shot attempt and missed badly. Almost every shot he took was short and barely grazed the rim. This almost makes you wonder if it’s not even a confidence issue and more of adjusting to the NBA distance.

Turnovers: One of the strengths analysts saw in Wagner’s game coming into the league was his playmaking ability, however that aspect was not exactly on full display that night. Wagner had only 2 assists as opposed to his 3 turnovers, a not-so-intriguing AST/TO ratio for his debut. Again, this was just one summer league game and I believe in time these struggles will dissolve and Franz will look more NBA ready as Vegas summer league and preseason transpire.

Side note: As the Magic continue to play in summer league, be on the lookout for solid performances from RJ Hampton and Cole Anthony. They were somewhat quiet last game, however, do not be surprised if they decide to turn it up a notch.

Was this analysis an overreaction? Perhaps, but a first impression is always important. Jalen Suggs truly stepped up from the jump. With a mentality and work ethic like his, I’m sure we’ll see more top tier gameplay from him when Orlando takes on Cleveland at 6:00PM tonight.  As for Franz, the dust will settle and he’ll adjust. His  first performance was poor, but it would be awfully unfair to already judge his NBA capabilities off of one summer league game. Regardless of individual performances the most important thing we can get out of summer league is preparation and development for our young guys entering the league. This is their time to prove their worth and show why they were lottery picks. Let’s hope that the remainder of summer league action allows Franz and Jalen to elevate their game and prepare them for the next stage. 

by Kieran Patel