Orlando Magic standout clears huge hurdle in injury-riddled year

Jalen Suggs matched a season-low by missing all seven of his 3-point attempts in the 121-113 win over Golden State. While his long-range shooting was off, it can be argued what he managed to bring to the table against Stephen Curry and the Warriors was the most encouraging development the Orlando Magic have been blessed with over the opening month of the season.

Suggs logged 31:56 of time on the floor, his most since Jan. 1, 2025, and finished with a season-high eight assists. He may have gotten the business from Curry after a 3-pointer the standout defender failed to keep from going in despite an effective close-out, but held the top long-range shooter in NBA history to 4-for-9 shooting despite Curry finishing with a game-high 34 points.

CURRY MOCKED SUGGS: Stephen Curry hit a tough three over Jalen Suggs, then mocked his closeout as he ran down the floor 😂💀

Steph is hilarious 😂 pic.twitter.com/Hwin9IXeG2
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) November 19, 2025

We may finally be approaching the end of worrying about how Suggs’ body is holding up. Ideally, the days of Jamahl Mosley tracking his minutes to make sure Orlando is doing right by him are winding down. Clearly, the Magic coach is excited with Suggs’ progress as he continues to make strides.

“He’s working on controlling what he can control,” Mosley said. “I think his defensive effort is the start of it. Playing with that poise, getting guys involved, I think those are all pieces of him continuing to grow back into that (lead guard) role and what he knows he’s capable of doing.”

This past New Year’s Day win in Detroit is still the highest-scoring game (24 points) of Suggs’ 2025 because he went down in agony two nights later in Toronto, clutching his lower back. He rode a wheelchair off the Scotiabank Arena floor, returned three weeks later following the back strain for a home game against those same Pistons and looked like a reduced version of himself. Suggs never played again after Jan. 25, undergoing left knee surgery in an effort to get right going forward.

The Magic have been understandably cautious with their point guard since training camp, sitting him on the second half of back-to-backs and keeping him in the 17-to-21 minute range until Nov. 9. It looked like Suggs was turning the corner until a groin strain kept him out of Sunday’s overtime loss in Houston.

That Suggs was not only able to play nearly 32 minutes despite participating in mostly non-contact work during shootaround prior to Golden State’s visit means Orlando’s coaching staff is allowing him to trust his body. It means Suggs is getting more rope to work with, both through the restriction on his minutes being eased up on and his on-court presence being even more valuable with star forward Paolo Banchero out.

Already a chaotic energy defender, Jalen Suggs continues to show development as a playmaker

Suggs vs. GSW
8 AST / 3 TO
2 STL + 1 BLK
held Steph to 4/9 FG + 1 TO in matchup

Jalen Suggs looks more and more like the answer at point guard for this Magic team every day. pic.twitter.com/zF4bod9Cbo
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) November 19, 2025

Suggs may not have made any 3-pointers against the Warriors, but had a massive impact in the closing stages with a block on Brandin Podziemski and the game-sealing assist to Desmond Bane.

Jalen Suggs seals the Magic victory over Golden State with a remarkable block before making the extra pass to set Desmond Bane up with a wide open corner 3pic.twitter.com/cd2bePuZ6O
— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) November 19, 2025

Despite his second 0-for-7 showing from beyond the arc this month, Suggs is shooting 34.6 percent from 3-point range, and is up at 90.3 percent from the free-throw line, a career-best. He’s averaging 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals, also his best clips to date, doing it despite playing fewer minutes than ever (23.0 mpg). If his production continues to rise as his playing time escalates, Suggs should shatter all career superlatives.

The upcoming weekend delivers the only back-to-back situation the Magic will face until Dec. 22-23, when they’ll play at Golden State and Portland. While we’ll likely see Suggs sit at Boston on Sunday since Orlando will host New York at Kia Center the previous night, we could see that limitation end next month. Suggs truly getting closer to 100 percent as a tumultuous calendar year ends ranks among the top reasons Magic fans should be excited about the coming months despite an unexpected sluggish start.

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