On draft night, many expected Jalen Suggs to be off the board by the time the Orlando Magic were up at No. 5. After making his Summer League debut, it's easy to see why Magic fans are excited about his rookie season.
In his Summer League debut, Suggs showed exactly why teams may regret passing up the chance to pick the Gonzaga standout, pouring in 24 points on 9-of-22 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep, adding nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals in a 91-89 overtime over the Golden State Warriors.
Suggs captured the country's attention in the NCAA Tournament, hitting a half-court buzzer-beater to send Gonzaga into the National Championship game, earning a reputation for making big plays and against the Warriors, he delivered once again.
The Magic erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit thanks to some big shotmaking from Suggs and then with the scores tied at 83-83 with 30 seconds to go, he came up huge on the defensive end.
The Warriors went out on a 2-on-1 fastbreak with Moses Moody and Kyle, but Suggs showed great anticipation, forcing the pass and recovering to block the shot and keep the ball in the Magic's possession to force overtime.
Jalen Suggs sends it away to force overtime in Las Vegas 😤#NBASummer on NBA TV
— NBA (@NBA) August 10, 2021
💻: https://t.co/YuGpAi3U4m pic.twitter.com/grumIVKCgI
In the extra period he scored on a goaltend and got a layup to give the Magic a four-point lead, before icing the game at the free throw line.
“The guy is a hooper. He is always ready to hoop and ready to play,” said fellow rookie Franz Wagner, who finished with five points and six rebounds. “I think his real personality comes out in the games. He had a great game today and I’m sure he is going to have a couple of more during the season.”
Suggs, who said that he hadn't played in a 5-on-5 setting since the NCAA Final, wasted no time getting into the swing of things in Vegas.
“I felt like a little kid on Christmas,” Suggs said. “It was so much fun getting out there and running again and getting into a rhythm and flow.”
On the other side, we got our first look at No. 7 overall pick Jonathan Kuminga, who made his Summer League debut for the Golden State Warriors.
smoooooth to the rack
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 10, 2021
📺 @ESPN pic.twitter.com/esxIALCJK0
Kuminga recorded 16 points, six rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes and while he didn't shot the ball particularly well, going 6-of-16 from the field and 0-of-4 from the 3-point line, the former G League Ignite player displayed plenty of athleticism and physicality, showing what he can bring to the Warriors from the jump.
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