Scott Skiles has established a reputation as a player and a coach who values staunch defense, which makes it more likely the Orlando Magic go with a top-tier defender in the NBA Draft.
Scott Skiles was named head coach of the Orlando Magic on Friday and his hiring will make the process of narrowing down a draft pick much smoother.
Skiles will now have input on which direction goes, and given his previous track record that puts all major defensive players in play.
However, I do think the arrival of Skiles moves defensive standouts like Stanley Johnson and Justise Winslow up the ORL's wish list. WCS too
— Yannis Koutroupis (@YannisNBA) May 29, 2015
Of these players, three stick out as the top of what could be Skiles’ list.
There is the defensive phenom big man Willie Cauley-Stein and lockdown wing defenders Justise Winslow and Stanley Johnson. It may be even boiled down to a matter of which of these guys fortifies the defense the most.
This is not at all to say the Magic are not in need of offense, but general manager Rob Hennigan has already shown a tendency to favor defensive talents and teaming up with Skiles. The Magic seem almost certain to go in that direction.
So which of the three would Orlando go with?
Next: Willie Cauley-Stein
Willie Cauley-Stein
That is far less easy to discern, because all three bring different abilities to the table.
Willie Cauley-Stein is a big who can defend both 4s and 5s. He is quick and covers the baseline as well as any roving forward in the NBA. He will be an immediate impact player as a three-year college stud for John Calipari at Kentucky. Cauley-Stein comes in with an innate ability to thrive in help-side defense, which is an area the Magic struggled with the entire 2015 campaign.
Cauley-Stein even brings All-NBA first team defense type quality, and has been billed with an upside not dissimilar from prime Tyson Chandler. The Magic could construct championship caliber defense with WCS either anchoring it at the 5-spot, or providing a twin towers look alongside Nikola Vucevic.
Stanley Johnson is the most versatile defender or the three, and he boasts the ability to potentially cover four positions. He’s long enough to matchup against smaller power forwards, while he would thrive full-time at the small forward spot. Given Skiles’ past conflicts with Tobias Harris, it becomes more likely that the Magic draft a 3-man in the draft.
Next: Stanley Johnson
Stanley Johnson
Why should an NBA team draft you, Stanley Johnson? "Because I'm the best player in the draft."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 14, 2015
Johnson has proclaimed himself the best player in the draft, and while he is not rated as high as Justise Winslow in the majority of mocks, the gap between the two is actually negligible in many respects.
Johnson is a better 3-point shooter and could initially thrive as a “three-and-D” specialist.
In eventuality, he could be a more offensively minded Tayshaun Prince, and that is exactly what the Magic need from their small forward. At the absolute best, he could be a legend like Scottie Pippen, one of the best two-way forwards in NBA lore.
There is no point in debating which will be the case, because regardless of what Johnson brings to the table offensively, he is initially going to be the plus-defender that Skiles seeks.
Next: Justise Winslow
Justise Winslow
Lastly, Justise Winslow finishes off a tough backcourt rotation that would feature three guards capable of playing both spots defensively. Elfrid Payton would unequivocally start at the point, but Winslow would have a chance to push Victor Oladipo to a sixth man role if he became the No. 1 option type some project him to be.
NBADraft.net compares him to James Harden, but Winslow’s defensive talents are worlds beyond the Bearded Man in Space City. Winslow has the length to slide to the 3-spot in smaller lineups, but would be nowhere near as well equipped as Johnson against the bigger small forwards.
Winslow instead will focus on using his speed to disrupt plays and fill passing lanes to ignite breaks. Johnson is more of the mode of a Harrison Barnes, a talent who locks down the perimeter without necessarily lighting up the stat sheet.
To be sure, Johnson can come up with the steals, but the Magic will have no shortage of that with Payton and Oladipo running alongside him.
When a trio of Payton-Oladipo-Winslow takes the court, other teams would often be left scattering to get into offenses. We saw that when Oladipo and Payton were at their best this season.
Filling out the perimeter with either Winslow or Johnson accomplishes that, and though the early inclinations may be to draft the former Duke Blue Devil in Winslow, Johnson’s ultra athletic abilities enabled him to thrive in a much quicker offense at Arizona.
With the Magic hoping to be a disruptive, fast-breaking team, both options are wins. It is determining whether the team wants to draft big with Cauley-Stein, or fill out its perimeter with Winslow or Johnson.
To be certain, however, Skiles is going to favor one of these defensive talents.
Mario Hezonja and Kristaps Porzingis now become lesser fits, notwithstanding that Porzingis is billed to be a good defender.
Skiles may see Dewayne Dedmon as a perfect 4-man given his effort, hustle and athleticism. Skiles may even make Dedmon into a tremendous defender at that. How Skiles values Dedmon will determine whether the Magic go after Cauley-Stein or Porzingis, for that matter.
Skiles will undoubtedly share a vision of Hennigan’s in creating a pestering defensive team that frustrates backcourts. With Payton heading the snake and two premier wing defenders, it is easy to envision the Magic making the leap to being a postseason team as early as next year.