The Orlando Magic are at square one. Whether they want to completely rebuild or retool with current personnel, taking Jayson Tatum at six should be a no-brainer.
I will admit it, I was out on Jayson Tatum for a while.
It just seemed like there is not really a place in the league anymore for someone I saw as a ball-stopping isolation scorer. Creating an efficient offense requires passing and off-ball movement. The Golden State Warriors, for example, avoid isolations like the plague in favor of shots with higher expected value.
Even if a scorer has a favorable matchup, even if Kevin Durant has Deron Williams switched onto him, the Warriors philosophically would rather he pass to a cutter than post up.
That formula has obviously worked and is exactly how many coaches strive to run their offenses.
To me, drafting a guy like Tatum felt like risking an important asset for a player who might not be good enough to score one-on-one in the NBA when one-on-one scoring seemed to be his most important skill. He would not be good enough to get the ball consistently in those situations, potentially causing his interest in playing off the ball and on defense to waver.
It is true Tatum is best at scoring in isolation and is not as good off the ball. Not to mention, his defensive effort with the Duke Blue Devils was inconsistent at times.
For those reasons he just did not seem compatible with the demands of modern NBA offense. It felt needlessly risky in a draft with so many great prospects who felt more compatible with today’s league.
My opinion changed when I started to watch more film. I thought about the value of having a proven scorer, his chances at becoming a bona fide Swiss army knife at forward, how he fits with what the Magic’s draft philosophy should be and how he could fit with Aaron Gordon.
He is more well-rounded than some popular narratives would lead you to believe. He has the skills to be a sixth man, a star or just a cog in a great offense. All of those would be great outcomes for a team trying to build a young core.
If Tatum falls to six, he should be a no-brainer for the Orlando Magic.