Orlando Magic’s Summer League team takes shape

The Orlando Magic’s Summer League will be notable for who is not there as Mario Hezonja is playing for Croatia. The roster is taking shape though.

With the NBA Draft over, the Orlando Magic are focusing on free agency and mining the undrafted rookies and low-level free agency for some bargains to fill their Summer League team and their D-League team, the Erie Bayhawks. Not to mention finishing up their coaching staff which should get finalized very soon (probably within the next week).

The Magic’s Summer League team began to take shape shortly after the Draft with several reports of who the Magic might be bringing in for the team.

The team — and the Magic have two once again this year — will be most notable for its absences.

There is no first round pick to watch for the first time in a NBA environment during this Summer League for the Magic. There is not even last year’s first round pick. Mario Hezonja is currently playing for Croatia as the team prepares for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament taking place during the week of Summer League.

Croatia has already played a few friendlies, playing its last friendly before the tournament starts July 4. Mario Hezonja scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in Thursday’s 78-70 win over Canada. He seems to be off to a good start for his national team playing behind Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dario Saric off the bench. He had nine points and six rebounds in a loss to Canada earlier in the week.

That is a big absence in Summer League though. The Magic roster will have second round pick Stephen Zimmerman and likely last year’s second round pick Tyler Harvey, who spent the year playing for the Erie BayHawks. But after that it will be a collection of undrafted free agents.

Those names have begun to leak out.

The biggest name is former Kentucky forward Alex Poythress. He reportedly agreed to join the Magic’s Summer League team shortly after the draft.

Poythress was considered a lottery pick throughout much of his freshman year at Kentucky in 2013. He averaged 11.2 points per game and shot 58.1 percent from the floor and added 6.0 rebounds per game.

He decided to stay in school and his stock precipitously dropped. He struggled to get playing time in Kentucky’s crowded front court. His number returned to their freshman-year level last season. He averaged 10.2 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. But as a senior, that was not enough to get him drafted. This came after he tore his ACL in his junior season.

Poythress is more of a smaller power forward. He does not have a great jump shot making just 30.2 percent of his 3-point attempts in his four-year career. It is hard to see where he fits in the NBA. But he undoubtedly has talent. He was the eighth best recruit in his class.

Poythress is the most interesting player rumored to be joining the Magic.

The other two college players rumored to be joining the Magic are Jimmy Gavin of Winthrop and Patricio Garino of George Washington.

Gavin has an incredibly interesting story. He did not play high school basketball as he suffered from Crohn’s Disease. He was able to get his disease under control and walked on at Bradley before transferring to Division II Wisconsin-Parkside. He transferred to Winthrop where he played his final year of eligibility.

"“I’m both grateful and excited to join the Orlando Magic for summer league,” Gavin said in a release from the school. “I feel prepared knowing that this opportunity is not one that came easily, but something I have earned through hard work and persistence. I’m ready to go in, compete and learn as much as possible.”"

He averaged 18.7 points per game and made 47.8 percent of his shots and 41.0 percent of his 3-pointers. He is a very good shooter at the college level.

Patricio Garino averaged 14.1 points per game and shot 51.0 percent from the floor and 43.0 percent from beyond the arc. He was also a three-time Atlantic 10 All-Defensive team player. Garino is an interesting player for sure at 6-foot-6.

All three players will have a long way to go to make the Magic roster. They are likely playing for a chance at a training camp invite and a year in Erie to further integrate into the Magic’s system.

Next: Tyler Harvey faces long road to make Orlando Magic roster

The rest of the summer league roster will be announced before the league starts play Saturday.