‘Exactly how it was supposed to go.’ Despite injuries, former Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs found growth during rookie season

DALLAS, Texas – Like many NBA rookies, Jalen Suggs’ debut season was a roller coaster. When the ex-Gonzaga star was on the court (48 games) for Orlando, he averaged 11.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds.

However, a fractured thumb and ankle bone bruise forced him to miss 34 games.

But despite spending so much time on the sidelines, Suggs, 21, can’t complain. “It was exactly how it was supposed to go. I learned an immense amount about myself and what I need to do to be great in this league but continue to grow as a person, a human being,” Suggs said prior to an Oct. 7 preseason game in Dallas.

“When you make that leap to this level, you have to grow up really fast. You are a full-fledged adult with a job, taxes, and move into a different city. It slowed down a bit around Christmas. I started to feel really comfortable. Then, it was hard to get (back) in a rhythm because of the injury, but I wouldn’t trade anything for what happened. I’m happy with it, with the direction I’m going, and ready to continue to build on it.”

Suggs entered the league with Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, who last season was in Year 1 calling the shots after being a longtime Dallas assistant. And Mosley, who earned rave reviews for his work with young players like All-NBA superstar Luka Doncic with the Mavericks, feels the time Suggs spent off the floor has already paid dividends.

“Him getting hurt was a bit of a blessing in disguise because it allowed him to sit with our coaches and study film, understand the game, allow the game to slow down,” Mosley said. “He became a coach in his own right in some ways, being able to see the game. He’s going to continue to progress, and the game is going to slow down for him a ton. Last game (on Oct. 6, 2022 in San Antonio), he did a great job of pushing the pace but doing it under control and understanding where to get guys. We’re just continuing to look for that from him.”

Suggs’ most memorable rookie moment came on Nov. 1, 2021 when the Magic traveled to his hometown of Minneapolis. After a 15-point, 4-rebound performance from him, Orlando left town with a 115-97 win against the Timberwolves. “It was surreal. I just remember during the game, I kept looking into the stands,” he said.

“I could look at a random spot in the arena and see somebody I know, someone I’m friends with. There were so many people there who had helped me, sacrificed, and been with me on my journey to get where I’m at now. It was very emotional and hard to focus because they were all there and I wanted to have the perfect game. We ended up winning and I didn’t want anything more than that. I think there were like 350 (people he knew there). Seeing all of them meant the world to me. That trip was really fun and I’m looking forward to going back this year.”

Seeing several hundred friends and family throughout the lower bowl of the Target Center reminded Suggs of what he loved about growing up in the Twin Cities and playing his high school ball at Minnehaha Academy, the family atmosphere surrounding the program and the school.

Suggs experienced a similar vibe during his time with the Zags, when he was named 2021 First-Team All-West Coast Conference and earned league top rookie honors.

“Gonzaga is a family and that’s what drew me there. Coming from Minnehaha, that community, I’d been a part of it since sixth grade,” he said. “Everyone in that community was like family.

“They took care of me and welcomed me with open arms. I wasn’t really looked at as Jalen Suggs. I was looked at as a friend, a student. That’s what I wanted, to just be embraced, to be able to be normal around them, let my guard down. Gonzaga has that exact same feel with the people around campus. Little things like that are what made me feel so happy during my time there. I love that place.”

And even though he was only a Zag for one season, being a student-athlete for the Bulldogs left a lasting impression on him, a love for the school and program he wears as a badge of honor.

“My time at Gonzaga was some of the best seven, eight months I’ve ever had,” he said. “I built lifelong friends who are family to me.

“It was super fun, coming into work every day and into the gym, even in the summer when we’d have our workouts, we’d go to the warehouse and hoop. My time there was a blessing. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Any chance I get to go back to Spokane just to see the people, the campus, coach, and all the players, I will take full advantage of it every time. That place is definitely like a second home to me for sure.”

In the past, being an NBA rookie often meant hauling around the dreaded pink backpack to announce their rookie status to the world.

However, the Magic are one of the younger teams in the league, so Suggs’ rookie rites of passage were limited to running errands for veteran teammates Tim Frazier and E’Twaun Moore.

“I would have loved a colorful pink backpack. I’d take a Dora backpack or something like that. Those are fire to me,” Suggs said. “I’d definitely walk around with that. That would a great fit, stylish. They (Frazier and Moore) would ask me to grab them some food or some snacks, towels, whatever. Those two came with that super heavy but they’re my guys. Other than that, besides singing Happy Birthday all the time, I didn’t have anything really crazy (to endure).”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.