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It is Time for the Jalen Suggs Game, as Magic Try to Close Out

Orlando guard primed for breakout playoff performance on Game 6 stage
Ryan Kaminski|
Apr 27, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Detroit Pistons during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Apr 27, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Detroit Pistons during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

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Orlando MagicDetroit Pistons

Jalen Suggs only has one Game 6 logged on his basketball resume:

Two years ago, almost to the day, with his Magic team facing elimination, Suggs splashed a playoff career-high SIX threes on his way to 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists-to-4-turnovers, and 1 steal in a Game 6 win over the Donovan Mitchell & Darius Garland Cleveland Cavaliers.

Behind a balanced attack of Suggs' red-hot shooting, 27 points from Paolo Banchero, and 26 points from Franz Wagner, Orlando rode the wave of Kia Center's erupting crowd to overcome a 50-point road playoff performance from Donovan Mitchell and force a Game 7 back in Cleveland.

While Orlando would go on to lose the series, this 2024 season is when the Magic officially arrived.

And a huge part of that identity, then and now, is Jalen Suggs, the head of the snake.

The Magic are due for a Jalen Suggs game

Suggs blocks Harris from behind
Apr 27, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) goes to the basket against Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) during the first quarter during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Jalen Suggs is a walking pick-six, a walking chasedown block, a walking four-to-five point swing waiting to happen.

When Orlando's at full strength, he's free to wreak havoc as a free safety on defense – forcing turnovers, jumping passing lanes, creating chaotic good energy left and right for his team, energy that his team feeds off more than most tend to realize.

When the Magic are limited, like missing one of their best two-way players this series in Franz Wagner, everyone's role changes, team demand grows, and everything becomes a little bit tougher.

Suggs will give his all every night for this team defensively however they need him, and when he can prioritize point guard duties with the goal of executing team-first decisions while having fun doing it, this offense and team is a different beast entirely.

When Jalen makes a mistake on a near-highlight play, avoidable turnovers tend to take place; still, if Suggs sees the vision, it's probably a play he can pull off, he's that talented of a passer, and he doesn't mind a high-risk high-reward highlight reel dime to go with his truly elite two-way impact.

What could unlock Suggs and this Magic offense in Game 6 is something that he has been due for all series – a breakout scoring performance off lights-out 3pt shooting

I asked Desmond Bane about off-ball relocation threes with Jalen Suggs, if it feels easier to move around and find open looks with both shooters on the court at once:

The more playmakers you have on the floor, the more you are able to break down the defense.

Get those spray-out threes...

Couple times I hit (Suggs) where I am touching the paint, spraying out, and vice-versa.
Desmond Bane

21% of Suggs' regular season games involved 20+ point scoring outings, yet Jalen has yet to hit the 20pt mark this series.

This could be due to many reasons, from the nature of playoff basketball, to the limited scoring grit and grind old-school point totals of this particular matchup, to the lack of touches to create, the tougher shots available in the playoffs, or the general shooting volatility of missing open shots.

Suggs is shooting 34% on 360 3PA in the regular season, knocking down a great 39% 3P% on nearly 4 catch-and-shoot threes, with a not-so-great 26% 3P% on just over 2 pull-up threes per game.

In the playoffs, though, Suggs is shooting much worse than normal, hitting just 30% 3P% on nearly 7 catch-and-shoot threes and 18% 3P% on just over 2 pull-up threes per game, through five games.

Historically, based on his past three years of shooting, Orlando should expect a 36% 3PT shooter on a medium-high volume of 6 3PA per game.

Nowadays, the Magic lean into Suggs' shooting because he is one of few release valves for this halfcourt offense's spacing; if Jalen keeps launching at will, defenses will respect his shot, even if its not falling at a great rate yet.

Shooting confidence and shooting volume affects the way defenses respect you just as much if not more than the general efficiency.

With Suggs having below-his-average shooting outings so far in the playoffs, one can wonder if he's due to break out for a better shooting night for a handful of reasons: his team needs someone to step up as a creator and scorer with Franz out, he plays and shoots and scores incredibly more efficiently at home than on the road, he hit 3 3PM in the first three games this series and launched just under 10 3PA per game over the first four games this series, his shooting volatility is due to swing back up with the same confidence and attempts for volume, and he consitently steps up in big moments.

The Final Four shot for Gonzaga over UCLA lives in eternity underlining Suggs' basketball legend.

Game-winners, clutch moments, big plays on both ends over and over for this Orlando team.

Suggs has already been a vital part to his team winning Game 1 on the road in Detroit, along with Games 3 & 4 at home in Orlando in this series.

Orlando first witnessed Game 6 Suggs in a playoff game with major stakes on the line deliver a poetic 6 threes made in a win.

What will Game 6 Suggs' encore performance look like two years later and again in front of a roaring Orlando crowd with the chance to win this franchise's first playoff series in sixteen years?

If Suggs single-handedly swings the 3pt shooting, assist-to-turnover ratio, and points off turnovers margins as he's shown he's capable of doing on any given night for this team, he evolves into the electric spark that lights the fuse of this all-out two-way 3&D-off-paint-and-spray Magic attack.

Suggs is somewhere between the x-factor, the wildcard, and the outright best player for this Magic team on any given night; if Jalen gives Magic fans one of his peak performances in a closeout game at home, or any Orlando player for that matter, they would instantly become a Magic Playoff Legend.

Hopefully for Magic Fans, they'll leave the arena with a good story to tell their grandkids to go with their free *Black Magic* playoff tees from the game.

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Ryan Kaminski
RYAN KAMINSKI

Ryan is a basketball scout data analyst who has been covering the Orlando Magic, NBA, and NBA Draft with a focus on roster building strategy, data analytics, film breakdowns, and player development since 2017. He is credentialed media for the Orlando Magic along with top high schools in Central Florida where he scouts talent in marquee matchups at Montverde Academy, IMG Academy, Oak Ridge, and the NBPA Top-100 Camp. He generates basketball data visualizations, formerly with The BBall Index. He has two B.A.s from Florida State University in Business Management and Business Marketing. Twitter/YouTube/Substack: @BeyondTheRK

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