Magic’s Jalen Suggs receives 3rd-place vote for NBA’s top defender
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley often referred to Jalen Suggs as the “head of the snake” for Orlando‘s defense and the end-of-season numbers back up his description.
Suggs finished the regular season tied for eighth in the NBA in steals (1.4) and tied for 12th in steals-to-turnover ratio (0.80) while recording at least one steal 57 times and two-plus steals 31 times.
Known for his aggressiveness, Suggs made it known just how tough of a defender he is on a nightly basis by helping guard some of the top backcourt players in the league.
That’s why on Tuesday he was one of just 13 players to earn consideration for the 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
Receiving one third-place vote, Suggs earned one point in the final tally alongside Chicago’s Alex Caruso, Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis and Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen.
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The award was won by Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert — who received 74 first-place votes — for a record-tying fourth time.
Gobert joins Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the only four-time winners of the award, which has been presented annually since the 1982-83 season.
Although Suggs only received a single third-place vote, he was a key part of Orlando’s defense which finished the regular season third in defensive rating (110.8) behind only Boston (110.6) and Gobert’s squad, the Timberwolves (108.4).
His 1.41 steals were a team-high and he added at least one blocked shot 35 times and two-plus blocks 11 times.
In contention to finish on an All-NBA defensive team, Suggs could become the first member of the Magic to do so since Dwight Howard in 2012.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
