Orlando Magic need Jalen Suggs to toe the line on defense

In the third quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte HornetsJalen Suggs made sure everyone knew he wasn’t going to back down.

His harassing defense already frustrated Davis Bertans enough to elbow him and get himself ejected from the game for a flagrant foul. Suggs wasn’t done getting into the Hornets’ shoes.

Grant Williams did what a big man is supposed to do against a pressure-raising defender, he leaned into a hard screen to knock Jalen Suggs out of the way. Suggs fit the physique. He went straight into Williams’ chest to knock the 236-pound forward off balance.

Williams didn’t like it, catching Suggs as he tried to get back into the game. They had to separate the two players and get back to technical matters.

After the game, Suggs said there were no hard feelings. But he liked the physical side. He loved mixing it up with the bigger player. He seemed to enjoy this opportunity.

He wasn’t going to back down. This is what his team needed.

“I love it. I’m not going to lie to you,” Suggs said after the win over the Hornets. “It reminds me of basketball when I was growing up. I have no hard feelings toward Grant or any of those guys. It reminds me of playing against older guys. It’s physical. They’re not just going to leave you win, blow them up and have a good time when you’re on the court with them. I like physical basketball. I like competitive basketball.

Nothing is easy when Suggs is down. What made this season so special was that Suggs went wild. This is who he is and he shows it every night.

Being a great defender means always on the verge of toeing that line between calm and madness. Suggs can be a maniac chasing players around screens. He’s someone who annoys everyone.

But that’s what a good defender is supposed to do. They are meant to be constant pests, stalking those they keep and chasing after them.

The fact that what Suggs does — from his defense to yelling at the crowd after big plays on offense and living every moment — energizes everything the Magic do. As several players and coach Jamahl Mosley have said, Jalen Suggs is the head of the snake.

Everything the Magic does comes from him and his defensive energy.

“That’s the head of the snake,” Mosley said after the win over the Hornets. “He’s the first line of the defense. As he runs all over the court and gets to the basketball, that back line makes sure to protect him, stick to our principles and know what we are able to do. But he starts. Everything dies down. His energy, his enthusiasm, it passes from him to the next guy.

All the numbers show how difficult it is.

For the entire season, the Magic have a defensive rating of 111.0 with Suggs on the floor. That’s not one of the team’s best individual ratings, but it would still rank fourth overall in the league (the Magic are third in the league with a defensive rating of 110.8) .

Opponents are shooting 46.8 percent against Suggs, according to NBA.com data (compared to 46.9 percent expected, which is one of the best marks for guards who have played at least 60 games). Teams don’t try Suggs and he doesn’t really allow shots initially.

Suggs is also extremely disruptive, averaging 3.32 deflections per 75 possessions and 1.9 steals per 75 possessions, both in the top 15 percent in the league. All advanced catch-all defensive metrics put him near the top 10 percent in the league.

Since the All-Star Break, Suggs has seemingly stepped up a gear. Opponents are shooting 38.3 percent against him (with an expected field goal percentage of 45.4 percent).

Orlando, which has the league’s best defensive rating since the All-Star Break with 106.2 points allowed per 100 possessions, gives up a paltry 99.9 points per 100 possessions with Suggs on the floor.

The numbers confirm what everyone knows: Suggs is a tough defender who has stepped up his game with the playoffs on the horizon.

“An all-defensive first team, that’s what it looked like,” Mosley said after the win over the Hornets. “I think he’s had a few situations where he just stole the ball and it’s hard to see. You think it’s a foul because of how aggressive he is. He does it because he beats guys. He’s so disruptive but that’s what he’s capable of doing consistently.”

His teammates certainly agree. They all know how important Suggs is to the big picture.

This suggests being healthy and Magic rosters stabilize allowed him to release all the pent-up energy he has and direct it towards the other team.

In Sunday’s home game against the Toronto Raptors, he nearly created an eight-second backcourt violation of his own. He blows up action with his ability to weave around screens and meet players.

More than anything, he sets the tone by never backing down physically. The rest of the team feeds off his energy. A lot of what Magic does starts with letting Suggs run wild for all the good and bad that might entail.

Sometimes this means Suggs overextends his defense and crosses the line to foul in an important moment – ​​this happened in the defeat UtahJazz and the loss to the Atlanta Hawks in January.

But sometimes that means letting Suggs figure out where that line is and adjust. That means trusting Suggs to know where the line is and what he can do throughout a game.

“We have to allow Jalen Suggs to be Jalen Suggs,” Mosley said before the Magic’s win over the Jazz. “Where he thrives is in being assertive and being aggressive and not shying away from who he is. Some of the mistakes he makes will probably be ironed out over time as they understand who it is and the level of respect that comes from that. It comes, whether it’s a sudden hit here or there. It’s just the ability to show your hands and keep your discipline in certain situations.

Suggs will always get too aggressive. But the Magic does not want to contain him. They have to trust that he knows where the line is with his physicality and his desire to get into players.

As the league sees the whistle tighten since the All-Star Break, Suggs has flourished even more with his tough, physical defense. It feels like it was built for this time of year.

Add in the bravado he brings with his improved 3-point shot and Suggs is indeed heading the team’s energy and swagger department. They know he is the emotional pillar of the team and they can remember his moments of overzealousness.

Suggs is just not an energy you want to contain.

Orlando has found a way to channel that in a positive way this year. And this is one of the big keys to their success this season.