Orlando Magic Rumors: Luke Kennard to work out for Orlando Magic

Duke Blue Devils shooting guard Luke Kennard told media after his workout with the Detroit Pistons he will workout with the Orlando Magic soon.

Duke Blue Devils shooting guard Luke Kennard said he will work out for the Orlando Magic before the June 22 NBA Draft, according to Keith Langlois of the Detroit Pistons. Kennard participated in a workout Saturday in Detroit with teammate Harry Giles and Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward John Collins.

Kennard is a projected lottery pick in the back half of the lottery but could easily fall. There are plenty of strengths with Kennard but also plenty of questions.

Kennard averaged a team-high 19.5 points per game, shooting 49.0 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. He was a strong scorer for the Blue Devils.

For a Magic team that needs shooting, Kennard would be quite the steal. Especially at 25.

Most mock drafts currently have Kennard going in the Lottery, typically in the teens. Very few would project Kennard to fall to pick No. 25 where the Magic are picking.

There are reasons to believe Kennard could slip. He has some serious flaws which might raise doubt about his place in the NBA.

Kennard is listed at 6-foot-5, 180 pounds. But he does not possess a ton of length or athleticism. He is not going to be able to defend opposing shooting guards very well. That likely limits his role to a reserve as a pure shooter.

That will be a question for him as he enters the draft process.

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So too will his defense. At Duke, he had a less-than-stellar 1.2 defensive box-plus-minus. He does not project as a good defender at the next level.

But Kennard can still score and put the ball in the basket. That is what his peers recognize. That is certainly what the tap shows. He is more than capable of creating his own shot or driving off closeouts. He may not be able to do all the things he did at Duke, but he should still carve out a role in the NBA.

Unless Kennard slips, the Magic would likely have to trade up to get him. They are certainly doing their homework on everyone they can in the draft.

Among the players the Magic have brought in for a workout is Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Zach Collins, another mid-Lottery pick that would likely be a reach for the sixth pick but gone long before the 25th pick.

The team also held a workout of several senior players they could take with one of their second round picks or to fill out their Summer League team or G-League team in Lakeland.

Here is our complete list of reported Magic workouts as of June 10:

Next: Orlando Magic Mock Draft Roundup: Nearing the end

The Magic still have a little less than two weeks to get those last prospects in — such as Jonathan Isaac, Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum — if they have not been in already. The Draft will be coming sooner than we think.