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About Jalen Suggs
• Jalen Suggs is an athletic guard with great competitive instincts who turned the corner in his lone collegiate season while helping Gonzaga to a National Championship appearance. A two-sport star who played both basketball and football throughout his prep career at Minnehaha Academy (MN), Suggs was named Minnesota Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball as a senior. Long regarded as one of the top-12 prospect in the high school class of 2020, Suggs earned gold medals competing for the United States at the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship, 2018 FIBA U17 World Championship, and 2019 FIBA U19 World Championship before capping his prep career with McDonald’s All-American honors.
• As decorated as he was, Suggs showed marked development ahead of his first collegiate season under Head Coach Mark Few. Averaging 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 4.5 assists per game for the Bulldogs, Suggs was perhaps the biggest revelation of the early part of the college season and carried that momentum through a stellar freshman season that saw him tabbed as a Consensus second-team All-American while solidifying himself among the elite prospects for the 2021 NBA Draft.
• Listed at 6’4 with a solid 205-pound frame to go along with a 6’6 wingspan, Suggs may not be especially long, but has prototypical size for a player capable of playing both backcourt positions. He is a very good athlete with terrific instincts and body control that shined in the open floor last season.
• Emerging as the most explosive, dynamic scorer on a talented, efficient Gonzaga team that was undefeated heading into the National Championship Game, Suggs thrived in a role revolving around his ability to get downhill as a primary or secondary ball handler. Scoring in bunches in the open floor, showing potential as a ball screen scorer in the half court, and flashing significant talent as a passer, the freshman had some spectacular moments in both non-conference and WCC play. His improved consistency as a jump shooter only added a dimension to a campaign that saw him find different ways to step up in a half-dozen big games.
• Playing with great energy on the defensive end, Suggs was a constant factor in the passing lanes, hounded opposing ball handlers, and showed a willingness to get on the floor pursuing loose balls as his competitiveness and instincts give him the potential to be a difference maker on both ends.
Advanced Stats
• Suggs was dynamic in the open floor as a freshman. Whipping passes the length of the court between defenders, setting the tempo with his ability to orchestrate the break and energy level running the wings, and finishing among the top transition scorers in the country, the freshman guard shined in space. Averaging 1.07 points per transition possession [60th percentile], he forced some shots looking to be aggressive but also regularly made something out of nothing—sometimes in spectacular fashion.
• Doing an excellent job putting pressure on the rim whether he was playing on or off the ball, Suggs proved adept at changing speeds and getting downhill with half of his shots in the half court coming inside as a result. Averaging 1.18 points per shot around the rim [59th percentile], he regularly turned the corner out of ball screens while displaying good burst and body control as finisher.
• Dropping in floaters with soft touch on limited attempts while scoring 1.10 points per dribble jump shot in the half court [93rd percentile], Suggs settled for little in the midrange and showed the ability to score with touch inside and stop and pop from beyond the arc against defenders playing him for his drive. He still has room to grow picking and choosing his spots as the focal point of an offense, but his evolution as a shooter adds a dimension to his game that it lacked early in his career.
• Through he showed growth as a pull-up jump shooter, Suggs scored 0.92 points per catch and shoot jump shot in the half court [39th percentile] as he still has room to improve his consistency on the perimeter. He has sound mechanics but could make another significant leap if he can become a bit more reliable as a shooter and ball handler.
• Showing a willingness to execute and make the extra pass in the half court, Suggs has an appealing versatility to his game on top of his potential as a shot creator.
• Ranked 2nd in the WCC in transition scoring (5.2 points per game)
Defensive Analysis
• A very good defender for a freshman with a great motor and a nose for the ball, Suggs displayed apparent two-way potential as a freshman. Not overly long with a 6’6 wingspan, he nonetheless was prolific in the passing lanes flashing impressive instincts, intensity, and timing pursuing deflections.
• Despite often defending the opposing team’s top offensive threat for stretches of games, Suggs allowed only 0.60 points per one-on-one possession [75th percentile]. Doing a lot of little things rotating to draw charges and pursuing rebounds out his area, he impacted games in a variety of ways defensively at the collegiate level.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
