Orlando Magic second round draft targets
By Ryan Doyle
With a pair of draft picks early in the second round, the Orlando Magic have a chance to find value late in the draft.
It is not often for teams to find major contributors in the second round. But the Orlando Magic will have two chances to strike gold.
Sadly, the Magic have yet to run into a star second round pick. The Magic have not been able to land an Isaiah Thomas or Draymond Green in the second round to this point. But, with a pair of picks, maybe luck will be on their side in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Magic will have picks Nos. 33 and 35. They have the chance to jump start the likely “re-tooling” process. The new front office will have the chance to land a pair of players who could fit into their future plans very nicely.
It is not easy to look back on Orlando’s 2017 season. It was an ugly campaign that left the team with no direction.
As the team moved on from Rob Hennigan, new President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond will be looking to for an identity for this team.
Having a pair of first-round picks, and two picks in the second will allow the Magic to form an identity quickly.
There is a strong chance that neither of the Magic’s second round picks play meaningful minutes next year. It is possible the Magic could use one as a developmental player in the G-League in Lakeland. But if one of them can become a role player some point down the road, it will be considered a major win for the franchise.
As the Magic plan to find a star early in the first round, the team will look to fill out the roster with these two picks.
The Magic can go in many directions with these picks in the second round. They do not necessarily have to address a need. The players who are going to be available with these picks are going to be flawed. They may have potential, but they are going to be projects.
Still there is plenty of value for the Magic early in the second round to explore.