Coach Jamahl Mosley never lost faith in Jalen Suggs. His teammates never lost faith in him.
He missed his first seven 3-pointers in Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Orlando Magic still fought their way to the lead, but they would need one more shot to get them over the top.
It was unblinking where they went. After Franz Wagner hit a step-back three to put the Magic up seven, they ran a ghost screen involving Wagner and Suggs to get Suggs on the wing. When the defenders both stuck with Wagner, he fed the ball to Suggs on the wing.
There was no doubt with the big shots Suggs has made in his career that this would be the shot that confirmed everyone’s faith in the young guard. The bigger the shot, the bigger the moment, Mosley said after the game.
Suggs delivered. He scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game. But he still shot 1 for 8 from three and 6 for 16 from the field overall. It continued a worrying trend since Paolo Banchero’s injury for Suggs.
Quite frankly, no player has struggled more since Banchero’s injury on Oct. 30 than Suggs. So much of his success especially from three got set up by the gravity Banchero created in the paint. Not only has Suggs’ shooting efficiency decreased, but so have the quality of his attempts.
It is part of the problems Suggs has had since Banchero’s injury.
Since Banchero’s injury nine games ago, Suggs is averaging only 14.2 points per game, shooting 39.0 percent from the floor and 21.8 percent from three. He has 4.0 assists per game against 3.3 turnovers per game in that period.
The shooting numbers tell the whole story.
Suggs shot 42.5 percent from three on 8.0 3-point attempts per game before Banchero’s injury. He has made only 21.8 percent on 6.1 attempts per game after the injury.
Additionally, Suggs shot 53.1 percent on 6.4 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game before Banchero’s injury according to data from Second Spectrum. He is shooting 27.8 percent on 4.0 catch-and-shoot opportunities since Banchero’s injury.
Even in terms of the quality of his looks, Suggs has gone from 55.6 percent shooting on 5.4 3-point attempts when the closest defender was 6+ feet away before Banchero’s injury to 20.5 percent on 4.3 attempts per game after the injury, according to NBA.com.
Suggs’ role has undoubtedly changed in the nine games since Banchero’s injury. He has had to fill in the role previously occupied by Wagner. That has meant more time on the ball and more lineups where he is the anchor scorer. He has struggled in that role too as his turnovers would suggest.
But as the Magic’s shooting has taken a nose dive, Suggs’ prominence and importance as a shooter has nosedived too. Orlando is still taking more threes this year – the team’s 39.0 attempts per game is 10th in the league and the team still leads the league with 12.4 corner threes per game.
The Magic are winning without Suggs. But as the team returns to the road, Orlando will need Suggs to find his stroke again.
Like they did late in the game Friday, they still trust Suggs to find his shot.
