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NBA Draft: Orlando Magic’s Worst Case Scenario

By Brett David Roberts

Feb 17, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) dunks the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) dunks the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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The worst case scenario for the Orlando Magic is if the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks both pass on D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay.

Here at Orlando Magic Daily we have focused on a litany of prospects that could be available at No. 5 overall. The two that comes up the absolute most are Justise Winslow and Kristaps Porzingis.

The hope would be that one or both are still on the board when the Magic select.

But that might not be the case.

The Los Angeles Lakers just had a private workout with Kristaps Porzingis, who impressed scouts league wide in a workout in Las Vegas last week. He is drawing interest from Philadelphia and is linked to them in Draft Express’ most recent mock.

If Porzingis is what he is billed and projected to be, he is a perfect fit for what the Orlando Magic need. He fills multiple voids all in one player, which is more than can be said for any other prospect. Winslow has become something of a fan favorite, but it is possible the Knicks fall in love with him and take him No. 4 overall.

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    • The absolute worst case scenario is that both the 76ers and Knicks pass on the top two point guards in the draft, Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell, two players the Magic decidedly do not need.

    Mudiay could be an interesting third guard to add to Orlando’s backcourt, but it is difficult to know how well it would really function. At 6-foot-5, he will easily be able to play both guard spots, so it cannot be ruled out Orlando keeps him to complete the rotation at the 1/2-spots, should they take him.

    The Magic are fully committed to Elfrid Payton and have every reason to be. He has already proven he has immense aptitude and was a first-team All Rookie selection. Of course, that did not stop Philadelphia from giving up on Michael Carter-Williams.

    If Mudiay, Russell or both are the top two talents on the board, the Magic may select for another team and deal the player selected. That move comes with its own risks in a point guard-heavy draft.

    This is a scenario co-editor Phillip Rossman-Reich and I explored on the night of the NBA draft lottery. If the Magic are left with Russell or Mudiay, the return could potentially be greater than going another direction and selecting the best available player for Orlando’s specific needs.

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    • Or, alternatively, the Magic could simply go with Willie Cauley-Stein who has received a lot of support from the fan base, as well.

    Cauley-Stein is a proven commodity and spent three years at Kentucky thriving on the defense end of the ball. The Magic need help on both ends of the court, though, which is what makes Porzingis a lot more enticing.

    Certainly, Porzingis has more awed scouts, though Cauley-Stein has shown signs of potentially having more offense than suspected. No one will really know until both hit the floor in real game action.

    It is just a cold reality the Magic may not be able to take the top two players on their draft board. Even if Porzingis impressed the Lakers and took him No. 2 overall, Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor will still most assuredly be off the board by pick five.

    The Magic want New York or Philly to take a point guard, but Orlando must at this point be prepared for the worst-case scenario of not having a shot at Winslow or Porzingis.

    That will leave the team looking at Willie Cauley-Stein heavily, with Mario Hezonja also very much in play.  He is billed to be the best Croatian since Drazen Petrovic by international scouts and a strong offensive player.

    The Magic should not rule out Stanley Johnson either, as he compares quite favorably with some of the best wing defenders in recent history.

    The Magic do have a very valuable pick in this draft, but the best part may be that it offers leverage in the event the draft does not unfold in Orlando’s favor.

    Next: OMD Podcast: Draft talk with Zach Oliver