Looking Towards the Draft: Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs came tantalizing close to having the perfect one-and-done season at Gonzaga. Being the focal point of an undefeated team and leading his team to the NCAA National Championship with a game-winning shot that will forever be immortalized in college basketball history, there is a lot to look forward to for the young point guard from Minnesota.
Currently, Jalen Suggs draft stock is at its all-time high following his impressive showing at March Madness. While it is not expected that he would surpass Cade Cunningham to be drafted first overall, it is likely that he will be drafted somewhere between the 2nd and 4th pick. Currently, all teams picking at this range are in desperate need of talent. However, the team he should fit in the best with would be the Detroit Pistons because of their lack of guard play. This should remain the case until the draft unless John Wall, D'Angelo Russell, or Markelle Fultz are moved from their respective teams (Houston, Minnesota and Orlando). Though it would be an interesting wrinkle to see Suggs get taken by his hometown Timberwolves.
Regardless of what team he gets drafted by, they should expect a high upside and immediate impact. Suggs value comes primarily from his offensive versatility with his ability to handle the ball and initiate the offense. At 6'4", 205 lbs, he is taller than the average point guard making him a nightmare to match up with. He can serve as the primary ball-handler due to his strong playmaking but can also create offense for himself by either driving to the rim or from behind the arc. While his 3-ball is not the most accurate in the world (as evidenced by his sub-par 3-point percentage and free throw percentage), his shot mechanics are pretty decent which indicates room to grow. In order for Suggs to make the most of his strong finishing ability, being a reasonable threat from 3 is important to keep defenses honest.
Suggs excels statistically in his rebounding which is above average at his position. However, this is mostly due to Gonzaga’s lack of rebounding overall and their lack of bigs as evidenced by their rebounding efforts against Baylor in the NCAA National Championship(Baylor grabbed 16 more rebounds than Gonzaga).
Defensively, Suggs is able to use his above-average size to his advantage and posted impressive steal and block numbers. However, he has a tendency to hack and foul on defense limiting his input onto the game overall as he often gets subbed off for foul trouble. If he is able to control his fouling habits and be able to defend smarter, he should present himself as an above-average defender. While he will probably not be winning the Defensive Player of the Year, he has the potential to become a defensive presence for his team.
Overall, Suggs is an extremely talented prospect that in most years would be a confident pick to be taken first overall. In terms of NBA comparisons, his unique abilities make it hard to pin it down to one player. However, he seems to be similar to a less athletic Russell Westbrook considering his talents in finishing and driving to the rim. While its unlikely that he will be dunking like Russell Westbrook, it should come as no surprise if we see shades of the former MVP in Suggs.
