The NBA Draft Combine will get into full swing Thursday with the agility drills and measurements. Here are five players the Orlando Magic should watch.
NBA coaches and executives have congregated in Chicago this week for the annual NBA Draft Combine.
Sixty-seven draft prospects will participate in various physical measurements, drills and 5-on-5 scrimmages in the next few days. Not all of them will actually. Several of the top prospects will only go through the basic measurements (if that) and sit-down interviews with the teams in attendance.
The 30-minute speed interview is likely to be the most important part of the process for several players and for the teams themselves. In large part, this is the first opportunity for the teams to interact with the individual prospects personally.
And even with that, many of the top prospects will not be in attendance. Only Markelle Fultz and De’Aaron Fox will be in Chicago and they are likely only doing measurements and interviews. They will not even break a sweat on the floor.
Other top prospects like Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, Dennis Smith, Jr. and Malik Monk will not attend the Combine. Teams will have to schedule individual workouts with them in the coming weeks.
Still, there is a lot of information to gather. And that might actually benefit the Orlando Magic as they put their focus on their other draft picks.
The Magic potentially have four picks in the upcoming NBA Draft and have a lot of homework to do. The Draft Combine represents another piece of the puzzle for the team in making a decision on the draft. There is a lot of information to process and a lot to get through in the coming days as the Draft comes into closer focus.
Orlando Magic
The Magic will send a fairly large contingent to the NBA Draft Combine. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, the team will send coach Frank Vogel, interim general manager Matt Lloyd, assistant coach Chad Forcier, scouts Harold Ellis, Prosper Karangwa and Anthony Parker and basketball operations manager George Rodman. They will all be putting their work in for the next few days reviewing prospects’ information and skills and conducting these initial job interviews.
As I noted yesterday, what happens on the court in the drills and scrimmages is as important as what happens in the 30-minutes interviews the team will conduct with the various prospects. But every bit of information will be telling. Orlando will want to get a close eye on several players.
With so few of the top prospects attending the Combine, the Magic are most likely focusing their attention on picks later in the draft throughout the Combine. Assuredly, they will try to get their time with Fultz and Fox. But most of their time will be spent on guys they could take at 25, 35 or 33 (if they get that pick).
At this point, everyone should know most of the strengths and weaknesses of the top guys in the Draft should the Magic win the Lottery. With the focus on the end of the first round, here are five players to keep tabs on at the NBA Draft Combine.
With the focus on the end of the first round, here are five players to keep tabs on at the NBA Draft Combine.