When Jalen Suggs signed with Adidas, the eventual fifth overall pick of the Orlando Magic revealed that players like Trae Young and others inspired him to join the apparel company.
Entering the NBA, Suggs relished the opportunity to face the superstars of the league. Prior to the season, Suggs had the chance to work out with Damian Lillard, one of the faces of Adidas. He was admittedly nervous about it but loved the chance to watch Lillard up close.
In addition to Lillard, Suggs was also looking forward to facing Young this season. As a division opponent, Suggs would see Young and the Atlanta Hawks four times. Unfortunately, Suggs has missed the first two meetings this year.
Suggs did not play versus Young on Nov. 18 due to an ankle injury and was not in the lineup on Wednesday when the Magic hosted the Hawks due to a fractured thumb. He was still able to have a brief conversation with Young after the Hawks won, however.
Young shared some of that conversation and his advice given to Suggs.
I told him I wanted to see him out there on the court. I know he is a tough competitor. I watched him in college. (I was) just telling him how it’s different. You went from a national champion (contender) to losing a lot. For me, I felt like it was the same way coming out of college. We won a lot of games and in the NBA you have to go through the learning curves. I was just telling him to keep going and get healthy and get right first and then just focus on getting better. As the years go, you’ll start to see the results.
Suggs, who has missed the last seven games, is averaging 12.3 points, 3.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 21 games this season with the Magic. He had just started to turn the corner prior to the injury, scoring in double figures in seven of eight games.
Mosley had a non-update update on Suggs a little while ago:
"His evaluation, obviously, is progressing." https://t.co/ObNb62aW2L
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) December 15, 2021
He is progressing in his recovery but is not expected to be cleared to play in the near future. He will likely not play the next time the two teams meet on Dec. 22 but will be ready for their final meeting on Feb. 16 back in Orlando, barring injury.
Suggs will have to wait until he can compete against Young on the court for now, but the opportunity to talk to him and pick his brain will certainly serve as a valuable experience.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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