How the Magic are Trusting Jalen Suggs' QB Skillset to Assist PG in Leading Offense

Suggs felt he’d be doing the teammates, coaches, staff and organization that he values and trusts so innately “a disservice” if he was doing less than what’s expected of him in this role. He knew going into the summer that he’d have a heavier load to carry upon his shoulders, and that served as a motivating factor for his training regimen.

At the core of his focus was his mind, body and spirit, Suggs said, which in turn helped him grow as a basketball player. Not only individually, but as a team, Suggs desires more dependability. On the floor, he honed in on his cadence and pace while cleaning up his ball handle, making it so his point guard tendencies come as second nature to the rising fourth-year guard this year. 

Offensive initiation was one of the main focuses of the Magic’s first few practices of training camp. Thursday’s session in particular, the third practice of the fall, keyed in on “taking ownership of the offense,” an effort to make sure Orlando is on the same page as a collective with the ball in their hands.

The Magic’s two skilled 6-10 forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, are utilized as offensive engines in the same fashion guards are elsewhere around the league. Orlando is aware that’s uncommon, but as Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said on media day, “We’re not building this thing quite conventionally.”

But trusting Suggs to be an improved initiator himself would better distribute the playmaking load from Banchero and Wagner’s duties. So, ensuring Suggs can be beneficial to the team in that regard is one of the top-of-mind aspects of not only this camp but this season.

How? By taking the former Minnehaha Academy four-star quarterback – who had offers to play football for Georgia, Ohio State and others – to his roots. Named Minnesota’s Mr. Football in 2019, the Magic want Suggs’ ability to read defenses with a football in his hands to relay over to setting the table for Orlando’s offense.

“I think that’s a big portion of it,” Mosley said after Thursday’s practice. “One of our initial drills was [to] get the football out, tell me what you see as a quarterback. And he did a phenomenal job of getting guys in the right spacing, putting them in the right spots to be able to see where we have to execute on our offensive end.

“He’s grown so much… He and I sat down before practice and watched some film, watched some clips, and I just wanted to get his feel, his thoughts, because he does such a great job of explaining the game. But again, when you’re out there, him and I being on the same page and one accord, just as much as with the teammates, is going to be so important.”

Friday, Mosley noted an instance where, after a stretch of turnovers in practice, Suggs came over to him on the sidelines and explained how he can settle down the offense and get things back on track. Keeping that dialogue open and constant is a sign of their cohesiveness as a tandem.

There's a balance he’s trying to strike between not losing the off-ball elements that helped him strive forward offensively last year and growing his on-ball comfort. That’s on top of the additional film study – another facet of his summer carrying over into camp.

Asked later that same day about the feedback it's brought thus far, Suggs said he looks forward to continuing delving further into the process with Mosley – stressing that one another values the other’s perspective and thought process throughout.

He welcomes the challenges this week brought with open arms, at peace with who he is throughout his adjustment to an old role turned new again. Over the summer, he unplugged around friends and family back home in Minnesota and comes back this year with both recharged batteries and a refreshed mindset.

“Taking on something new doesn’t mean you have to be somebody new,” Suggs said. Now, after an intensive summer and the ball rolling well into camp, he’s ready for whatever comes next.

“I’ve come to love it,” Suggs said. “I’ve come to love myself, and part of loving yourself is diving deep into it – asking yourself questions that you don’t always want to answer. But in order to grow, you kind of have to.

“I’m ready to give the city, my brothers and this organization everything I have, and that’s growth for me.”