How could the top players on the Kentucky Wildcats fit in with the Orlando Magic? It’s time to start watching.
March 19 offers four games worth tuning into to prospect watch for the Orlando Magic’s 2015 first round NBA Draft pick. The most important of these is the No. 1-seeded Kentucky Wildcats vs the No. 16 seeded “we’ll sees…” or the ill-fated No. 16 seed in other words.
Of course, there are guys worth looking at beyond just the lottery selection, and some of the names we mention here at OMD may be guys to consider with the second-round selection or even trade for. That said, let us look at the four players worth scouting on the Kentucky Wildcats.
9:40 PM EST: Kentucky vs Hampton/Manhattan, TV: CBS
Kentucky will be playing as a No. 1 seed and facing the winner of the play-in game that no one will watch. The Wildcats are expected by many to roll through this tournament, but there are a select few teams that are capable of ending what has been an undefeated season for John Calipari’s talented crew. Really, there are four guys worth watching for on this team that the Magic could benefit from, as follows:
1. Karl-Anthony Towns (7-feet, 248 lbs., Center)
Karl Anthony-Towns is currently projected to go No. 1 or No. 2 overall, so the Magic would need a stroke of good fortune to land him.
It might not seem imperative given that Nikola Vucevic is close to a franchise center and is going to be paid like one starting next season, but Towns should be better. He is billed as a franchise talent and at this point, some have slotted him ahead of Jahlil Okafor, who earlier in the season was regarded as a consensus No. 1.
Towns has great touch with his outside shot and could stretch the court much like Vucevic already does, and he has also a number of go-to moves like Nikola does, including a similar hook shot. Where he is better than Vucevic is at establishing position, blocking shots, and just defense in general.
Would he be an upgrade if the Magic did land that No. 1 pick? Yep.
Would Vucevic bring something nice back in a deal? Most likely.
Do not necessarily view Towns as a guy the Magic will obtain, but think of the possibilities of both his displacement of Vucevic, or — gasp — twin towers.
Towns has been mostly the awe of the NCAA due to the proverbial eye test, but is nearly averaging 10 points per game and seven boards while blocking 2.4 shots in just half a game. He is going to pay off for the New York Knicks if they land the first overall pick as the percentages dictate currently.
2. Willie Cauley-Stein (7-feet, 244 lbs., Center)
Willie Cauley-Stein has drawn comparisons to Ben Wallace, but he is so much more skilled offensively and it seems people are finally able to see that now. He even hit his first career three-pointer on Saturday, and it would not be surprising to see Cauley-Stein become a bit of a platoon big that is capable of filing the 4 or 5 spot.
He is an NBA starter, he is NBA ready, and the Magic could upgrade from Dewayne Dedmon in a major way by obtaining his services.
Dedmon could be kept as a rotation big, but rounding out a frontcourt with three seven-footers sounds like a plan for greatness. There is the hidden caveat that NBA frontcourts are not video games, but having a weak-side shot blocker with Willie’s speed would enhance the Magic’s half court ‘D’ in a profound way.
He is basically the type of shot blocker and defender that this roster needs to complete that side of the basketball. Cauley-Stein is the leader of this Kentucky team and sees about the most minutes at 25 per game (along with the Harrison twins) while posting 9.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks/steals per game.
3. Trey Lyles (6-foot-10, 250 lbs., Power Forward)
Trey Lyles is going to be a good NBA player, but it does not seem he would necessarily be the best fit for the Magic. He is not overly athletic, and that is what the team needs, to be overly reductionist. The defense is predicated on having guys that are capable of putting a lot of pressure on the ball and the Magic want to be the type of team to force a lot of turnovers.
Basically, Lyles is going to be a lot like a bigger Carlos Boozer, or at the worst, NBADraft.net notes, Sean May.
Keep an eye on Lyles just because you might want to see which NBA team foolishly wastes a late lottery pick on a guy whose defensive limitations will limit his value as an NBA starter. Lyles is averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 22 minutes a game.
Of course, the freshman could also decide to return to Kentucky for another year.
4. Dakari Johnson (6-foot-11, 263 lbs., Center)
Dakari Johnson would be best to stay in school another year, but he likely will not. He is currently about a second-round value in the NBA draft, but he is a lot like DeAndre Jordan, who was also taken in the second round.
That is to say he is a big athlete, raw and could be as good as he pushes himself to be. He’s a legit 6-foot-11 (in shoes) and has a 7-foot wingspan, so he is going to be at the minimum a big body to bring off the bench.
That said, there is absolutely no guarantee he is any kind of great upgrade over Dedmon, just that he could end up paying off for some team that snags him in the second.
The best part is that prospects like Johnson can be brought aboard on bargain deals with non-guaranteed contract. There is the possibility that he is another Daniel Orton, who also hailed from Kentucky and came out without having done much in the NCAA. He is seeing 16 minutes a game and averaging 6.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this year.