The Orlando Magic will send coach Frank Vogel and executive vice president, and resident good luck charm, Pat Williams to the NBA Draft Lottery next week.
Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel and executive vice president Pat Williams will represent the Orlando Magic at next week’s NBA Draft Lottery, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The Magic will have Vogel on the stage during the televised reveal of the Lottery results while Williams, who was on the stage for the three Magic Lottery wins in 1992, 1993 and 2004, will be in the room where the Lottery actually takes place. Williams has been a part of the Magic’s delegation to the Lottery for much of the past five years, heading to that back room in the last two trips to the Lottery at least.
These will be the public faces for the Magic as they hope to get some luck (finally) and deliver a star player in what is expected to be a stellar NBA Draft.
The Magic finished the season 29-53 and with the fifth-worst record in the league. That will give the team an 8.8 percent chance of winning the top overall pick and a 29.1 percent chance at landing a pick in the top three.
It is statistically most likely the Magic land the sixth pick (36.0 percent) or remain at the fifth pick (26.2 percent).
None of this is in the Magic’s control. As much as everyone wants to bring lucky charms, it comes down to pure dumb luck whether the right number combination comes up for the team out of the Lottery drum.
Williams has been the Magic’s good luck charm over the years, sitting on the stage when the team won the 1992 Draft Lottery for Shaquille O’Neal, the 1993 Draft Lottery for Chris Webber and the 2004 Draft Lottery for Dwight Howard. It would not be a Draft Lottery involving the Magic without the team’s patriarch present.
This would be a year to get a high draft pick.
This year’s Draft promises to be one of the best the NBA has seen in some time. Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and Dennis Smith, Jr. comprise some of the top picks in the draft and all seem to have star potential. Even if the Magic end up not getting into the top three, it seems they will get a quality player. Even if they fall to sixth.
Before Orlando arrives in New York for the Draft Lottery next Tuesday (May 16), the team is in Chicago in full force for the NBA Draft Combine. Here the Magic will get their first chance to interact with some of the draft prospects. Although many of the top prospects are not making appearances at the event.
Orlando currently holds three picks in the NBA Draft — the fifth-best odds in the NBA Draft Lottery, the 25th pick acquired from the Toronto Raptors in the Serge Ibaka trade and the 35th pick. The Magic may also acquire the 33rd pick if the Los Angeles Lakers pick in the top three as compensation for the Dwight Howard trade in 2012.
Next: 5 things to watch at the NBA Draft Combine
The Magic will have plenty to watch as the Draft Lottery unfolds next week.