Orlando Magic Daily 2017 NBA Draft Big Board
The Rest of the Lottery
Donovan Mitchell has climbed draft boards since the NBA Draft Combine with his incredible athleticism and length. He put up solid scoring numbers and was great at attacking the basket in college. But his athleticism and length stand out as a potential monster on the defensive end.
Mitchell will have to improve his shooting especially to make it in the NBA. But he has all the measurables executives like and executives are willing to take a risk on in the NBA. Considering the Magic’s need for a driver, he would be a strong candidate if they can climb into a second Lottery pick.
Justin Jackson is an upperclassman, which is a bit of a dirty word, but he showed tremendous improvement across his three years with North Carolina. It peaked with his performance at the NCAA Tournament and the national championship the team won.
Jackson kind of does it all. He is a good defender and can fill a solid role offensively. His 3-point shooting is still improving, but he has made progress in each year at North Carolina. He is someone who should be able to contribute quickly.
It is hard to get a good sense of OG Anunoby. He tore his ACL midway through the season last year. It is unclear where he is at in his recovery. But what Anunoby was beforehand was incomplete, but promising.
Anunoby was a supreme athlete and a very strong defender. He could fly to the basket and score on thunderous putbacks. Plenty for an undersized small forward. It may take a while for Anunoby to get to full health again. But his upside remains fairly high.
Zach Collins is probably going to end up a solid player. He has good footwork in the post and can hold his own defensively as a rebounder. He can step out and hit the jumper well and he is a surprisingly strong rim and paint protector.
It is just that his skills do not seem to completely fit the modern NBA style. He does not have 3-point range and it is unclear if he can be a NBA-level rim protector. Collins has a lot of inherent skill. But finding his fit will be difficult.
Terrance Ferguson is the latest in American players who decide to spend their year overseas. Although Ferguson took the unusual route of going to Australia. That afforded him a little bit more playing time. And he looked OK, averaging 4.6 points per game in 15 minutes per game.
Ferguson really impressed though at the Combine with his athleticism. And he looked like he could develop into a strong 3-point shooter. He is a bundle of athleticism. If there is a player with length and athleticism the Magic want to take a chance on, Ferguson could be that guy if he slips that far.