Jalen Suggs

Jalen Suggs plays defense similar to how cartoon villains get stronger every time one of their limbs gets blasted off with a giant laser.

For Suggs, he seems to lock in even more every time he gets knocked down, called for a foul or scored on. The central point of Orlando’s defensive attack, Suggs is the guard dog of the Magic, pestering opposing ball-handlers for 48 minutes and 94 feet. He gets perverse joy out of defending the best players on the other team and his energy permeates through the entire team.

Orlando lost all three of its best players to injury at one point this season; while Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero are the building blocks for the Magic, Suggs’ absence was felt more than either of theirs. That speaks to just how important the former Gonzaga Bulldogs star is to this franchise. He’s the sparkplug, and without him, the power is out a lot of the time.