The NBA Draft is a week old and the Orlando Magic are still picking up the pieces. The Orlando Magic Daily staff came together to break down the Draft.
The Orlando Magic made the first moves of their new management group last week at the NBA Draft, setting the table for at least an abbreviated rebuild and certainly some retooling from last year’s team.
Orlando fans hoped to see the team take some significant steps forward. Or, at least, see the team replenish its depleted bench with promising young players. The Magic certainly wanted to do that and, to some extent did that.
But things did not go how fans expected. The Magic selected Jonathan Isaac, the long, athletic, raw defender from the Florida State Seminoles. He represented a popular local pick, but also someone who would need time to grow. He fits the modern NBA skills needed at the forward positions, but he also was the most uncertain of the top picks available.
Orlando added a senior guard in Wesley Iwundu with the 33rd pick in the second round. That was expected. The Magic needed to add some depth and find a player who could contribute immediately. A senior player comes to the league much more seasoned and ready to contribute.
But the Magic were active too. A rebuilding team in the Magic decided to trade out of the Draft at Nos. 25 and 35. It was an odd move for sure. And it sent some fans asking what the Magic were doing spinning assets forward when the team could use those tools now.
It is, of course, still unclear what direction the Magic want to head. Their free agency plans are a little bit unclear. The team does not have a lot of free agency money to spend. So it would make sense to use those roster spots on young players.
It shows the kind of half-in, half-out approach the Magic are taking at this juncture. Orlando does not seem ready to abandon its idea of going for the Playoffs sooner than later, than doing a full rebuild.
It left a lot of questions about the Draft and the choices the Magic made.
These two picks were the foundation and the start of the Jeff Weltman era in Magic basketball. So what did we learn about this year and beyond?
We gathered the Orlando Magic Daily staff together for a roundtable to react to the Draft.