Jalen Suggs ready to help Orlando Magic in NBA postseason
PHILADELPHIA — A 12 months in the past, Jalen Suggs may solely watch because the Magic took down the Hawks in the NBA play-in tournament and finally fell to the Celtics in the primary spherical of the playoffs.
After lacking the vast majority of final season due to a left knee harm, the orlando guard has been extra accessible this 12 months showing in the second-most common season video games of his profession (57) and is now ready to help his crew in the postseason.
“I’ve been waiting for this time of year all season,” Suggs advised the Orlando Sentinel after shootaround forward of Wednesday’s play-in towards the 76ers inside Xfinity Mobile Arena. “I really feel I used to be making an attempt to wait to get this level. Now that it is right here, you possibly can’t do something however come out at typoff and hoop.
“You can tell who’s ready and who’s energized and who’s ready to do the little things to win and who’s not in these games,” he added. “It’s much more apparent so I’m ready to hoop. I’m excited.”
Although he wasn’t a part of final 12 months’s group that battled Boston in the primary spherical, Suggs did play all seven video games of Orlando’s first spherical sequence in 2024 with the Cavaliers, who gained Game 7 at residence.
In his first style of the playoffs, Suggs averaged 14.7 factors, 5.1 rebounds and three.3 rebounds with 1.3 steals, however shot 29.2% from 3-point vary per recreation towards Cleveland.
He’s gained perspective from taking part in in that sequence and watching final 12 months’s from the bench as effectively.
“Just knowing what it takes to win and knowing that that’s all it’s about, is the win,” Suggs stated.
Winning and advancing past the primary spherical is one thing the Magic nonetheless hasn’t performed below coach Jamahl Mosley, who’s in his fifth 12 months on the helm.
Following two first-round exits, the strain has solely elevated amid a turbulent season that is included two separate four-game shedding streaks and a six-game skid in March that sunk Orlando’s possibilities at avoiding the play-in.
The gamers themselves attempt their greatest to drown out the noise about what may occur if the Magic come up wanting advancing in the postseason to a 3rd 12 months in a row.
“Once the ball tips off, nothing else matters, to be honest,” Suggs stated. “It’s actually only a recreation so all that different (expletive) is human nature. It’s inconceivable not to hear, however as soon as the ball ideas off and also you stroll in the world come recreation day, all that different stuff does not matter. It’s about dealing with the duty and the day at hand. That’s how I attempt to method it.
“All that is what it is but it’s just time to hoop,” he added. “I really don’t care.”
Suggs is simply grateful to be on the court docket this time of the 12 months and help the Magic on the court docket after he did not get that chance on the finish of final season.
“It’s hard not to get excited, especially now that you’re really in it,” he stated. “That there’s nothing after the truth that you possibly can say you could make up for it in the subsequent recreation.
“These are literally it.”
Jason Beede might be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com