ORLANDO, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 07: Jalen Suggs #4 of the Orlando Magic looks on during the first quarter of an NBA Cup game against the Boston Celtics at Kia Center on November 07, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Getty Images
When the Orlando Magic got bounced from the first round of the playoffs last season, they were missing a core member of their roster. Jalen Suggs had undergone season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery in March. That limited him to 35 games and forced him into being a spectator as the reigning champion Boston Celtics dispatched his team in five games.
Suggs was ready to go for the start of the current campaign. However, he is still working his way back. He has missed time due to maintenance on his knee, and he has yet to play in both halves of a back-to-back.
When this injury is a footnote, no longer placing limitations on him, the former fifth overall draft pick isn’t trying to return to the level he reached before it; he’s working towards an evolution.
“I don’t even think I’m chasing my former self. I’m reaching for who I can be — player and person,” said Suggs after a recent victory vs. the Los Angeles Clippers. “For me, it’s about, ‘How do I keep evolving in this league so I can stay present, keep improving, keep helping us climb the ranks to become one of the better teams?’ Me improving myself and who I am directly correlates with that.
“So, [I’m] just trying to be better for everybody,” voiced the fifth-year guard. “It’ll come in time. I know I’ve got more steps to go. I’ve got a higher level I can be at. So, really just trying to take it day-by-day, continue to be honest with how I’m feeling — mentally, physically — and just keep growing, to be honest. I’m in a good space with it now, just trying to trust it again. That’s the biggest part, and everything else with time will come at me.”
Jamahl Mosley shares the key to Jalen Suggs’ evolution
With Suggs stating his desire to grow his game, sharing that vision helps keep him present. The Magic’s head coach, Jamahl Mosley, spoke with Forbes about what that maturation looks like in a way that uplifts Orlando’s offense.
“For him, I really do believe it’s just staying present in the moment,” conveyed Mosley before a recent tilt against the Celtics at TD Garden. “I think he’s talked about that a ton, just being in the moment, wherever he is within the game. If that’s one play offensively or defensively, just staying in the moment and continue to communicate with his teammates and just staying as present as possible as the game goes on.”
Suggs is producing 13.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per contest in 15 appearances this season. That’s an impressive and important two-way impact while dealing with restricted availability.
He’s only 24, making even his play in the present an easy way to recognize that there’s plenty of room for growth. To maximize that development and achieve the evolution Jalen Suggs envisions, as his head coach pointed out, the key is for him to focus on staying in the moment to get the most out of the 24 hours in front of him.