The NBA Draft early entry deadline has passed and Combine invites are out. It’s time to review the early mock draft and who the Orlando Magic might pick.
The NBA Playoffs’ first round came to an end this weekend. And admittedly, we here at Orlando Magic Daily are still recovering from the end of the regular season two weeks from its conclusion. Season recap posts and player evaluations will continue for the time being.
Very soon, though, eyes will turn toward the NBA Draft. Really within the next week, draft preparations for the Orlando Magic and the rest of the league will get very real.
The NBA Draft Combine will take place in Chicago from May 9-12 and the official invites went out this weekend. This will be a chance for the NBA teams to get measurements for many of the prospects in the Draft and sit down for their first one-on-one interactions with the team.
Many of the top prospects will not participate in the drills. And the very best prospects will not even bother to attend the interviews either. Who can blame them, especially before the Lottery?
This week marked one of the first major deadlines of the NBA Draft. The entry deadline for early entry candidates passed this week. The list of players entered in the NBA Draft is now complete. The next major date is the NBA Draft Combine followed by the early entry withdrawal date on May 22. The NBA Draft Lottery is May 16.
With this date passed and the full list of draft prospects in place, it is time to start at least becoming aware of the prospects the Orlando Magic might be looking at. Do not worry, Orlando Magic Daily will start diving deeper into the Draft once the Combine comes into closer view (stay patient!).
Until then, let’s take a quick tour around the various draft sites and meet some of the prospects.
Orlando Magic
This year the Magic will have two first round draft picks. The first pick is, of course, the Magic’s own pick. Orlando has an 8.8 percent chance of landing the top pick in the Draft and a 29.1 percent chance at landing in the top three. If everything goes chalk, the Magic will and
The first pick is, of course, the Magic’s own pick. Orlando has an 8.8 percent chance of landing the top pick in the Draft and a 29.1 percent chance at landing in the top three. If everything goes chalk, the Magic will land the fifth pick. The odds are one team will jump into the top three and slide the Magic to sixth.
The second pick was the one the team acquired from the Toronto Raptors in the Serge Ibaka trade. After the NBA’s tiebreaker, the Magic will pick 25th.
Let’s take a look at the early draft picture for the Magic.
DraftExpress (April 26)
5th Pick: De’Aaron Fox (PG/Kentucky)
No player at the top of this draft probably helped himself more in the NCAA Tournament than De’Aaron Fox. The stark contrast of his 39-point performance against Lonzo Ball of the UCLA Bruins stands out as a big moment. Fox shot 13 for 20 from the floor and 13 for 15 from the foul line for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Fox is among the intriguing point guards at the top of this draft. He showed plenty of promise at Kentucky but undoubtedly his concern is his shooting.
In his lone year in Lexington, Fox shot 47.8 percent from the floor but just 24.6 percent from beyond the arc. And that is the college line. Encouragingly, Fox shot 73.9 percent from the foul line. That is usually a better indicator of a player’s shooting form and room for improvement.
When I watch Fox, I tend to believe he plays the way we wish Elfrid Payton would play. Fox is always driving toward the basket and trying to get there. He is also a gifted passer and playmaker, averaging 4.6 assists per game. If Orlando is ready to move on from Elfrid Payton, Fox is not a bad upgrade.
25th Pick: Tyler Lydon (F/Syracuse)
Tyler Lydon is an intriguing prospect as something of a tweener. He averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last year for the Syracuse Orange. But he also showed some nice range, shooting 39.2 percent from beyond the arc.
The 6-foot-9 forward has good size and length and is pretty mobile. He is a tweener, able to play both small forward and power forward. The kind of player who might work well off the bench as an energy provider as a stretch-4.
He has plenty of athleticism to work around the basket defensively.
But he has to put on muscle. Lydon is listed at 220 pounds and that is the reason he is a bit of a tweener. He is not going to attack much off the dribble. Outside of spot ups and the occasional pick and roll, his offensive game is still very limited.
If a team is drafting him, they are betting his shooting and athleticism can help him carve a role off the bench.
Chad Ford, ESPN.com (April 18)
5th Pick: Jayson Tatum (F/Duke)
Jayson Tatum may be the favorite pick among Orlando Magic fans for this spot if he is still available. There is talk Tatum could climb into the top three and maybe, if you squint really hard, a shot at the top two.
Tatum had a stellar freshman year for the Duke Blue Devils, averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Tatum was an efficient scorer at a 50.7 percent effective field goal percentage. He was the kind of player who could put up a lot of points, even when he was not involved.
Ford writes:
"Tatum is the prototypical NBA small forward. He can score from anywhere on the floor, though his consistency as a 3-point shooter has been questioned."
His 3-point shot is about the only weakness in his game offensively. But like a Rudy Gay or a Carmelo Anthony, he can hit from the mid-range pretty effectively. And there are still plenty of signs he can step out and hit a 3-pointer on occasion. At worst, he is Tobias Harris.
Tatum has star potential written all over him. He may not be the perfect star for this day and age, but he can score and that is something the Magic need.
After the top two guys in Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, Orlando will look seriously at the versatile Tatum and hope he can translate his style to the NBA.
25th Pick: Jawun Evans (PG/Oklahoma State)
If the Magic pass on a point guard with their first pick, there are still some intriguing options later on in the draft who can play that reserve role, possibly growing into a starter. Jawun Evans tops that list.
Evans averaged 19.2 points and 6.4 assists per game last year for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, leading the team to the NCAA Tournament. His stellar 23-point, 12-assist game against the Michigan Wolverines in the first round nearly led the team to a big upset.
He has proven himself a solid 3-point shooter too, making 37.9 percent of his attempts.
Ford writes:
"There’s a dearth of point guards in this draft after the top five picks are off the board. But Evans has promise both as a scorer and a playmaker. He can shoot 3s, get to the rim and set up the pass by creating his own shot. If the Magic miss out on a point guard with their first pick, he’ll be a strong fit here."
Evans is a strong athlete who can get to the basket at will. Finishing is his big issue once he gets near the basket. And it is unclear if he has the otherworldly athleticism to be anything more than a career backup.
With D.J. Augustin already under contract long term, it would seem a backup point guard may not be a pressing need. Then again, if the Magic plan to play at a faster pace, then they will need a point guard who is more comfortable playing at a faster pace.
The Magic are probably not as comfortable at point guard they were heading into last season. Elfrid Payton’s status is up in the air. And so too would D.J. Augustin’s even with his long-term deal.
Evans is definitely a player to keep an eye on for this second pick.
Steve Kyler, Basketball Insiders (April 27)
5th Pick: Jayson Tatum (F/Duke)
I spoke at length about Tatum on the previous slide. Expect Tatum to be one of the favored picks for the magic among mock drafts.
Who could blame them? The Magic need shot creation and scoring. That is what Tatum did really well in his lone season at Duke. Orlando could also use some more size at small forward, and even someone who can switch with Aaron Gordon to guard power forwards, and Tatum fits that bill too.
What is really impressive about Tatum is how he can contribute even without the ball in his hands. He can dominate in isolation, but also find ways to score without the ball, helping spread the floor. And Tatum is a good rebounder for a player of his size.
If Tatum is the prize from this draft, the Magic have done pretty well.
25th Pick: Jaron Blossomgame (SF/Clemson)
Jaron Blossomgame averaged 17.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. last year for the Clemson Tigers, leading them nearly to the NCAA Tournament despite a poor record. Clemson scored some big victories and Blossomgame was a big reason why.
Blossomgame plays more like an undersized power forward though. He does not have much of a 3-point shot. He does a good job working his way into between the zone and scoring near the basket. And he has plenty of athleticism and scoring instinct. But at the NBA level, he needs to shoot.
Blossomgame shot 25.5 percent from beyond the arc last year. That does not bode well for his NBA prospects. He is definitely a project and a team will have to be patient with him as he learns to play on the perimeter.
For this Magic team, Blossomgame is probably not the right pick.
NBADraft.net (April 17)
5th Pick: Jayson Tatum (F/Duke)
Jayson Tatum will remain a popular pick for the Magic throughout the draft process. As described previously, there is no reason not to believe that.
Here is what NBADraft.net has to say about Tatum:
"6’8 smooth and versatile wing prospect … Good size, length, and fluidity for a wing. Uses size and length to shoot over defenders. Good half-court offensive game . . . A high-level athlete, but not a jump out of the gym freak … Lacks strength for physical play at higher levels but should add strength in time … Has the ability to make difficult shots but tends to settle for deep contested shots. Fades away at times when it’s unnecessary."
It will be interesting to see if Tatum’s stock rises anymore. He was a late riser into the top five as the year went on too. That could push Kansas Jayhawks forward Josh Jackson down. Tatum is more offensively developed than Jackson while Jackson is a better overall rebounder. Tatum has the all-important shooting edge.
Malik Monk also could be an option at this pick too. Monk is perhaps the best shooter in the draft, able to get hot from three and put up a ton of points extremely quickly.
Also look out for NC State Wolfpack guard Dennis Smith. He is a notch below Fultz on the scoring point guard ladder.
25th Pick: Johnathan Motley (PF/Baylor)
Johnathan Motley is best described as a bull. He is big, hard to move and a workhorse on the glass and around the basket. He may not have a lot more to add to his game, but he knows how to throw his weight around and overpower smaller players.
Motley averaged 17.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game last year for the Baylor Bears. He had a 32-point, 20-rebound effort against Texas (see above) and 15 double-doubles. He was just a terror for the Big 12 in the post.
He had 19 points and 9 rebounds against Kansas and 26 points and six rebounds against Michigan State. Motley is not the kind of player who should be leading a team, as he had to for Baylor often, but he can work in the low post and become a vulture for boards and points.
Here is what NBADraft.net says about him:
"An extremely long, rangy big man with a versatile offensive game, Johnathan Motley has made the most of the opportunity as Baylor’s top dog after Taurean Prince has made the transition to the NBA. Measuring 6’9’’ in shoes, Motley sports a massive 7’3.5’’ wingspan and a 9’3’’ standing reach, which are both elite measurements for a power forward. He’s filled out nicely over the yeas as well, and weighs in at a strong 232 pounds (up about 30 lbs since his high school days). Motley also possesses great end to end speed, and the ability to really get out on the break. Johnathan has a really good mid range game, but in the spacing heavy NBA landscape of today, you’d like your stretch 4 to have 3 point range. His percentage this season is a very good .385%, but it’s on limited attempts (5-13) so it’s difficult to know if that’s an accurate representation of his range. Motley is surprisingly not a high level shot blocker, despite his great length."
Drafting Motley is drafting a backup undersized center in this NBA day and age. Corliss Williamson would actually be a perfect model for him as an undersized big. There is that player comparison to think about.
But Motley is going to have to work to overcome his lack of size as a center, his poor outside shooting as a power forward and his loss of a size advantage going up against bigger NBA forwards. A 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward does not buy what it used to in the NBA even.
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Depending on how his workouts go, the Magic could certainly pull the trigger on Motley here. Or they might be more willing to wait and see if he lasts into the early second round, where the Magic might have two picks coming their way in the first five picks.