Jalen Suggs enters the 2026-27 season with three storylines for the Orlando Magic: his shooting, the team’s scoring off turnovers and his overall effect on winning. His availability also will be important as Orlando evaluates whether he can replicate his impact from the 2025-26 season.
Can Suggs improve his transition shooting?
Suggs produced mixed shooting results during the 2025-26 season. He shot better from mid-range than in prior seasons and improved his floater efficiency, but his pull-up 3-point percentage and efficiency around the basket declined.
Suggs shot 31.1 percent on 3-pointers in transition during the 2025-26 season. That represented a 12-percent drop from his combined mark over the previous two seasons.
The Orlando Magic also struggled in that area as a team. Orlando shot 34.5 percent from 3-point range in transition during the 2025-26 season, which ranked 27th in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks all ranked among the top 11 in the category.
Can the Orlando Magic rise in scoring off turnovers?
The Orlando Magic ranked second in scoring off turnovers during the 2023-24 season, when Suggs appeared in 75 games. Orlando ranked 12th in the category during the 2025-26 season, although its scoring totals in those situations remained nearly unchanged.
The Magic scored 18.6 points off turnovers in 2023-24 and 18.5 points in 2025-26. The source noted that more teams prioritized scoring off turnovers than they did a few seasons earlier, which helped explain the change in Orlando’s ranking.
Suggs’ ball pressure, instincts and anticipation were identified as factors that could help Orlando rise in the category. His defensive activity can create deflections and steals, giving the Magic opportunities to connect their defense with their transition offense.
Can Suggs replicate his overall impact?
Suggs had the Orlando Magic’s best plus-minus during the 2025-26 season. The team outscored opponents by 181 points when he played.
Orlando had a 108.4 defensive rating with Suggs on the floor, second on the team behind Jonathan Isaac. The Magic had a 115.5 defensive rating with Suggs off the floor, the team’s worst mark in that category.
Orlando also had a 113.6 offensive rating with Suggs on the floor and a 112.7 offensive rating with him off the floor during the 2025-26 season. The source described the difference in his on-court and off-court numbers as evidence of his impact when he played.
Health remains part of the evaluation
Suggs’ availability will be important to any effort to replicate that impact during the 2026-27 season. He missed 72 games over the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons combined.
His shooting, defensive pressure and overall effect on winning are the central areas to monitor entering the season. His health will also be a factor in how consistently the Orlando Magic can benefit from those contributions.
FSB Take
Suggs’ 2026-27 outlook includes questions about his transition 3-point shooting, Orlando’s scoring off turnovers and his overall impact on winning. His 2025-26 numbers showed improved mid-range and floater efficiency, a decline in several other shooting areas and a significant defensive on-off difference. Replicating that impact will depend in part on his ability to remain available after missing 72 games over the previous two seasons.
Source: Original report