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.
The Top Five
The Magic will likely have no chance at drafting Markelle Fultz. But he is far and away the best player in this draft. He is able to create his own shot and attack the basket. He has a solid 3-point shot. He is as complete a player as there can be.
Fultz probably still needs to work on his passing and playmaking. It was hard to tell much about his point guard skills with how much his Washington Huskies team struggled last year. But Fultz still is the most complete player in this Draft.
The team that drafts him is likely drafting the best chance at a star.
If Fultz is the most complete player in the Draft, Lonzo Ball is right behind him. Ball has some questions — none of them having to do with his father — but his offensive skill is undoubted. He is a strong shooter and playmaker, able to get into the paint and distribute.
Ball has questions. His shot form is a question mark because it is relatively slow and untraditional. He is also a very poor defender. Not that he was asked to defend very much with the UCLA Bruins.
Still, a lot of what Ball does is very good. He can play off the ball because of his shooting. And for such a young player, he has an incredible rhythm about his game.
The NBA Draft will get interesting at No. 3. It is unclear what direction the Philadelphia 76ers will go with this pick. If the Magic held the third pick, I know what direction they would go. De’Aaron Fox is the pick the Magic would likely take.
There is the sense the Magic need a point guard. And Fox is the top point guard outside the top two. He has a strong scoring and playmaking knack. His jumper remains a huge question mark, but it is continually improving. The way he finished the season for the Kentucky Wildcats was extremely encouraging.
Fox is clearly a player who can begin contributing quickly as he gets up to NBA speed. He is also someone who has plenty of room to grow. A perfect pick if he is available (which does not look likely).
As I have said before, Josh Jackson is my favorite prospect in this Draft. I absolutely love the way he plays the game. He was able to do a lot with a suspect shot. He is a strong athlete and a great defender. I absolutely love the way he plays. He has a strong basketball sense to him too, able to play without the ball.
Jackson has plenty of weaknesses to worry about. He played mostly power forward for the Kansas Jayhawks and could struggle as he goes out to the perimeter. His shot is still a huge question mark, although he finished the season strong.
For the Magic, his fit is a huge question mark. Because he lacks a consistent jump shot, it is hard to see him fitting in with this current group with Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton in the fold. That would make the Magic pause if he is available with others. But he has star potential and his defense makes him valuable if the Magic are willing to sculpt him.
Dennis Smith Jr. has become the favored pick for the Magic at the sixth pick. And there is good reason. He seems like he would be the perfect fit for the Magic, filling several needs they have.
Smith is a strong scorer and driver, drawing comparisons to Damian Lillard in some circles. He can break players off the dribble and has the athleticism to get to the basket and finish around the rim. That is a skill the Magic need. They simply need scoring. And having a scoring threat at point guard would help the team create more space for their shooters.
Smith needs to improve his defense and prove he can be a better 3-point shooter. HIs length is somewhat concerning too. But he would be a strong prize who would fit the current roster, giving him a chance to grow and eventually shine.
The rest of the top 10
If the Magic took Jayson Tatum, it would not be a bad pick at all. Tatum is likely more ready for the NBA and has a more defined scoring skill. He was a great scorer for the Duke Blue Devils and was able to show some versatility with the way he attacked the glass.
Tatum’s fit in the NBA is a bit uncertain. And his fit with the Magic — especially Aaron Gordon — is in question too. Tatum works mostly in the mid-range, the inefficient area on the floor that is truly only the provenance of stars these days.
Because Tatum is not a strong 3-point shooter and the Magic still seem invested in Aaron Gordon, it is not likely he would be a good fit with this Magic team. But, for now, Tatum is a strong option who comes ready to contribute fairly quickly.
Malik Monk is quite possibly the best shooter in this Draft. His 47-point performance against the North Carolina Tar Heels stands out among the great individual college performances of this year. What stands out to me is his performance against the Florida Gators when he struggled in the first half and then suddenly caught fire to win the game.
The Magic need shooting. And so it would be silly if the Magic did not consider taking Monk. He is a knock-down shooter who will be able to play that role in the NBA at the very least.
He has to show a little bit more willingness to take players off the dribble and do more than shoot. His star potential seems lower than other players in this draft. His lack of length as a 6-foot-3 shooting guard is also a struggle to worry about. But that shooting skill will give him a chance to do everything.
I have long characterized Jonathan Isaac as the potential biggest boom or bust in this Draft. I still truly believe that. He has all the measurables a team would want, but his freshman year with the Florida State Seminoles was a mix of really impressive play and really passive play. It is hard to figure out how much of that was Florida State’s system or Isaac deferring to teammates.
The measurables are all there. And Isaac projects as a better 3-point shooter than a versatile forward like Tatum. It is just unclear how much of that shines through. Is he a stand-still spot-up 3-point shooter or can he gain the confidence to become that central star.
These are big questions for Isaac. But his shooting would make him a great pairing with Gordon on the wing. It might make him more valuable than a player like Tatum. But the question is how much any one team believes in Isaac.
Frank Ntilikina is going to be the biggest mystery of the Draft. Not too many casual fans have heard of or seen him. But Ntilikina is definitely going to be worth the hype. Or at least he has a lot of the tools to be worth the hype.
For those Magic fans believing they will focus on finding length should certainly consider Ntilikina. He is long for a point guard and shows a lot of defensive potential because of that length and his athleticism.
His scoring remains a question mark. And he will have to work on his jumper significantly. He also has to continue improving as a point guard. But Ntilikina is the kind of athletic project that reminds of other picks John Hammond took a chance on with the Milwaukee Bucks. He would be a stretch at No. 6, but a project worth pursuing.
Lauri Markkanen is a unique player. There are just not many 7-foot centers with his athleticism and most importantly his shooting ability. He might very well be the best shooter in this Draft — I would still go with Monk. But there is no denying that unique skill from Markkanen.
Markkanen would fit the Magic for that shooting ability and ability to play the stretch-5. Maybe coach Frank Vogel could teach him verticality. But it probably would not be the best fit.
Markkanen has some athleticism to attack the basket off the dribble against slower defenders. But he will struggle defensively and will not be effective in the post at all. That could hamper him in the league.
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.
Just before the Magic pick
John Collins had an impressive sophomore year with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, leading the team to the NCAA tournament with 19.2 points per game nad 9.8 rebounds per game. He is a strong player in the mid-post, able to attack and score around the basket.
At 6-foot-9, he is a bit undersized for the position. And he does not have a 3-point shot. He would have to carve a role as a grinder. But Collins has shown very capable of performing and accepting that role.
Luke Kennard was Duke’s leading scorer last year and proved a very capable scorer at the college level. He is a solid 3-point shooter and can create some off the dribble.
The question is whether he can do it all at the NBA level. He is a bit undersized for a shooting guard and does not seem like he will contribute much on the defensive end. The shooting is extremely valuable, but he has a long way to go to be a true contributor in the NBA.
The latter half of the first round has a lot of post players. Many who seem imperfect fits for the modern NBA. Centers in the league today seem like they have to be able to stretch the floor some and protect the rim.
Justin Patton seemingly did both in his freshman year for the Creighton BlueJays. So that will get him the nod over some of the other players in this grouping. He averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for the Blue Jays last year. He shot better than 50 percent from beyond the arc. But he will have to step up his game to make it in the NBA.
Of the big men in this part of the draft, Jarrett Allen seems the readiest to step on the floor and make a difference. Allen averaged 13.4 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game and 1.5 blocks per game.
It is that rim protection that will get Allen a look at the league. He is a bit more developed than his peers in this area defensively. That gives him a little bit of an edge. But he is not a supreme athlete. He mostly uses his size to play defense.
Ike Anigbogu did not get a ton of playing time last year for UCLA. But in the playing time he got, Anigbogu showed a lot of promise. For a team with patience, Anigbogu could turn into a solid center prospect.
Anigbogu averaged roughly four points and four rebounds per game. But in less than 20 minutes per game, he blocked 1.5 shots per game. He is a solid rim protector and active around the basket. He has to continue to learn how to play more solid defense outside of shot blocking.
Where the Magic Pick
At one point, Harry Giles was one of the top prospects in the entire NBA Draft. He was an early favorite for the top pick. But he struggled with injuries in his lone year at Duke and never really found his rhythm.
Giles showed flashes of the work he could do around the basket. But he is still trying to find himself after injuries slowed him down last season. The talent is undoubtedly there.
T.J. Leaf should come to the NBA as a typical stretch-4. He can hit the 3-pointer and step out comfortably beyond the 3-point line. That makes him valuable at the NBA level.
Where he is different is his ability to take defenders off the dribble and use his athleticism to score at the rim. Leaf will struggle defensively. And he is not going to outmuscle anyone on the low block. That could be a hindrance to his ultimate success.
Jawun Evans has tremendous command over an offense. He is adept at pulling up for jumpers or getting to the basket and causing the defense to collapse. Evans will make defenses work to stop him. That is what the point guard of the nation’s most efficient offense will do.
Evans struggles to finish at the basket though. And he is a bit small for the modern point guard. But his efficiency with the ball in his hands so much is promising, especially for someone in the back half of the first round.
Semi Ojeleye turned a lot of heads with his 40.5 inch vertical at the NBA Draft Combine. Then they probably went back to look at his game and saw someone averaging 19.0 points per game with a 42.4 percent field goal percentage and some serious hops.
Ojeleye may not have played against the very best of the NCAA, but he seems to have a lot of the tools NBA teams are looking for in a wing player. Do not be surprised if Ojeleye’s name is called earlier than expected.
D.J. Wilson burst onto the scene last year after struggling some in his first two years for the Michigan Wolverines (including a redshirt year). But Wilson was really impressive last season for the Wolverines, upping his scoring and showing a more diverse scoring profile. It still needs development.
Where Wilson will make his bread and butter are on the defensive end. He has great athleticism and length to be a bulwark defensively. That was his primary role at Michigan. The offense has slowly filled in. But if he can establish himself as a good defender, he will be a solid contributor.
The Rest of the First Round
Tyler Lydon is an intriguing stretch-4 prospect. He can hit the 3-pointer well, which is a good start. And he shows some athleticism in his ability to get to the basket. There is something to work with in Lydon.
Where Lydon will struggle is if he has to put the ball on the floor. Lydon’s shooting percentages drop dramatically if he even dribbles once — try worse than 30 percent. That does not bode well for Lydon if he tries to make it in the NBA.
Bam Adebayo is both everything you want in a center and possibly a bit short of it. He is a strong rebounder and solid athlee who can work around the basket.
But he lacks the athleticism to finish high avbove the rim in the lob game or block shots. That is not his game. He is likely going to be stuck to putbacks and garbage pail rebounds. It is unclear if he can do that at the NBA level.
This late in the Draft, teams need to find workhorses. This is where guys need to find players who know they will not be stars and will fill a role. That is Jordan Bell. Bell will work the glass and do everything in his power to get rebounds and the dirty work.
Bell’s storng NCAA Tournament showed his potential. And there is something innate about being a grinder. But Bell did not play with that intensity all year. Some of that having to do with another big man in the post with him. But Bell’s game is very narrowly defined.
Derrick White played only one year at the Division I level after falling through the cracks in high school. He hit a growth spurt as a freshman to become a 6-foot-4 scoring mchine. And he proved that in his lone year with the Colorado Buffaloes.
White still has a lot of point guard skills to learn. And he has to improve his shot. But he is a fully developed player who burst onto the scene last year. He should find a home somewhere in the NBA.
Ivan Rabb is undoubtedly very talented. He has a solid touch around the basket and a good knack for rebounding. But he did not really take any major step forward in his career. And it is not entirely clear whether he can fit the current NBA style.
Rabb is one of the few players in the country to average a double double. But he does not have a lot of athleticism around the basket or mobility to defend the perimeter. He is not much of a shot blocker either. It is all a concern for him.
The Second Round
Sindarius Thornwell was a fantastic scorer on his way to SEC Player of the Year. Still has to develop his shot, but has good size.
Meager statistics at Duke, but Frank Jackson still has plenty of room to grow and showed flashes of his potential down the stretch.
Averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game backing up Kennedy Meeks on national championship-winning North Carolina.
Sindarius Thornwell was not the only scorer for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Dozier averaged 13.9 points per game. But he was not much of a 3-point shooter.
Isaiah Hartenstein is a raw big man from Germany who has good size and a lot of potential. But he will need lots of time.
Dwayne Bacon was the leading scorer from NCAA Tournament Florida State team with knack for scoring. But he dominated the ball and will not be doing that at the NBA.
Kyle Kuzma is a versatile forward who can do a lot of little things. But definitely not a stretch-4.
Wesley Iwundu is a versatile guard who averaged 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game with a decent 37.5 percent 3-point shooting.
Big Ten Player of the Year Caleb Swanigan transformed his body and proved himself a reliable workhorse in his final year for the Purdue Boilermakers.
Next: Orlando Magic Mock Draft Roundup: Nearing the end
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