The Orlando Magic kept the focus on the offensive end, using their second round pick to take the NCAA’s leading scorer in Tyler Harvey.
The Orlando Magic selected Tyler Harvey out of Eastern Washington with the 51st overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Harvey led the nation in scoring last year averaging 23.1 points per game and making 43.1 percent of his 3-pointers. This is a guy who can flat out score.
The Magic obviously put a focus on offense throughout their Draft, having taken the offensive minded Mario Hezonja with the fifth overall selection. Hezonja is a super talented offensive player who has athleticism to fit his talent and room to grow.
“I think we’re at a point now with our roster where we need to be vigilant in terms of the type of skill sets we’re bringing in to make sure they mesh well with what we already have,” Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. “I think going into the Draft, we earmarked shooting as something to address if the opportunity presented itself. Tonight it did, so we feel good about that.”
Offense was certainly the focus. Hezonja is a gifted offensive player who can shoot. He is quite possibly the best shooter in the Draft. His skills are pretty straight forward as someone who can attack off the dribble and make open jumpers.
Harvey, on the other hand, is a big-time scorer but does not have a ton of athleticism. He dominated the Big Sky though with his quick release and shooting ability. He obviously can create his own shot with teams focusing their defenses on him constantly.
In the NCAA Tournament last year, he scored 27 points on 9-for-20 shooting in Eastern Washington’s second round loss to Georgetown.
Harvey is a guy with a quick release and dribble moves to create space and get his shot off.
“All I have wanted to do is get better and prove to give myself the best opportunity to continue my player as a basketball player,” Harvey said. “I’m not afraid of hard work. My journey, I have face;d adversity, but you have to fight through it and keep working hard. That’s all I did.”
He needs all of it too. At 6-foot-4, he does not quite have a position. He is certainly not a point guard at the NBA level — 2.6 assists per game last season — and he might be a bit undersized to be a full-time shooting guard. The Magic value versatility, as they repeated during the evening.
Harvey is adept at getting his own shot off and putting the ball in the basket and that is not necessarily something you can teach.
His story is also an incredibly interesting one. Harvey ended up at Eastern Washington after nearly heading to a Division III school. He did not receive any scholarship offers until a chance meeting between his father and an old friend. He walked on at Eastern Washington and earned a scholarship after his redshirt freshman year.
This is a guy that has truly climbed the mountain for an incredible opportunity.
“The whole journey has been a blessing honestly,” Harvey said. “I can’t put it into words right now. To be part of a great organization, I’m looking forward to the future.”
The second round can often be about those opportunities. Harvey has spent a lifetime for sure making the most of his opportunities. Now he has a great one to impress with his dynamic scoring ability throughout Summer League and, if he survives, training camp.