Orlando Magic Daily 2017 NBA Draft Big Board
With the NBA Draft quickly approaching, I unveil my personal big board for the Orlando Magic as Draft preparations come to a close.
The NBA Draft is quickly approaching. This is the last full week before the Draft occurs. One week from Thursday all the preparations and decisions will be made. And the Orlando Magic are certainly on the clock with four picks to make in this Draft.
That comes with a lot of preparation. The Magic have had several players in for workouts — a lot we know and a lot we do not know. And they are sure to have more in for workouts in the next 10 days as they make their last preparations for the big day.
The team has done its homework all over the Draft looking at players available at the top, the bottom of the first round and throughout the second round. They have also brought in several players projected to go in the mid-Lottery before their pick.
Jeff Weltman, Matt Lloyd, John Hammond and the Magic’s front office is not leaving any stone unturned. This is a group that values information and they will continue to seek it and decipher it as the Draft comes closer and closer.
Among the many whiteboards (those dang whiteboards again?) inside the Amway Center, there is likely a master big board forming. It is likely debated on again and again as the team tries to synthesize its information into a handy guide, determining value, fit and needs.
As Matt Lloyd said, these workouts give the Magic an idea of how the player’s personality fits with their players and their team as much as they use it to figure out a player’s skills and work ethic.
Orlando Magic
The Magic have a lot of needs to fill and they will look to fill them in this 2017 NBA Draft with four picks to make. The big need is to increase the talent level. The Magic need to improve their depth and skill all around the roster.
Orlando obviously needs shooting as a skill. But it may be difficult to get a lot of that later in the Draft.
Everyone senses the team will push for length, athleticism and versatility once again. There is plenty of that to grab. About the only thing the Magic do not need is a center with Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo entrenched at center, barring any trade that might go down.
The team will have to find a way to take advantage of skills and try to find players who can fill a role. If they can do so immediately, even better for a team that still has some hopes of winning in 2018.
As we get closer and closer to the NBA Draft, this big board will get further crystallized.
In lieu of a mock draft — that will come next week — let’s put together the Orlando Magic big board with 10 days to go before the NBA Draft. This board is not a prediction of where players will fall in the NBA Draft. Rather it is a list ranking the prospects in this Draft and their potential fit with the Magic.