Orlando Magic Daily Pre-NBA Draft Lottery Big Board
The Real Targets
In reality, the Magic are not likely to get a top three pick. In all likelihood, they are going to sit tight in pick five or six. But that will not leave them in a terrible position. That will lead them to pick among the following players.
And they are all intriguing choices. They may not have the extreme upside potential as the top two guys, but they are fine picks. Players who can certainly fill a big need for the Magic — or for any team.
When it comes to the “best of the rest,” I think Jaren Jackson Jr. has the best everything that is left out there.
He is a gifted, instinctual defender, which is always the place you want to start with a center in this league. Jackson averaged 3.0 blocks per game and 5.8 rebounds per game in 20.8 minutes per game. Jackson played very limited minutes for the Michigan State Spartans — Tom Izzo prefers his veterans, I suppose — and played them largely out of position at power forward.
That is not to say he is a perfect prospect. Jackson’s 3.2 fouls per game in those minutes are certainly a concern. Was he simply unleashed to block shots and be an active player around the basket without any consequence to his fouling? Or is that a sign of a player who chases blocks and is a bit overeager?
Either way, it feels like those instincts can get dialed back. Jackson is one of the youngest players in the Draft and has a lot of room to grow. Defense is the toughest thing to teach young players and he already seems to have the skills to play that end.
So if someone like Mohamed Bamba is the high-end of the defensive scale (all defense and no offense) and Marvin Bagley is the high-end of the offensive scale (all offense and no defense), Jackson is more in the middle. Probably leaning toward the defensive side.
Jackson showed plenty of offensive flashes throughout his season in East Lansing. He has solid athleticism with the ball in his hands and good instincts on that end. He just has a lot of growing to go.
Mohamed Bamba is probably the most intriguing prospect in this draft. He has extreme length — a 7-foot-9 wingspan — that already has him drawing Rudy Gobert comparisons. Physically that makes sense. And his defensive impact also makes sense.
Bamba blocked 3.7 shots per game. He surely changed plenty others. Bamba was just that much of a force. Length alone will do that.
The question with Bamba is whether he can grow the rest of his offensive game. That is what he and trainer, Drew Hanlen, are working on. And the early video suggests there have been some results. Obviously, no one will really know until he tests them in Summer League and then eventually in the regular season.
That still is a long way away. Based on his time with the Texas Longhorns, his offensive game is rudimentary at best. Raw is a more-than-fair assessment. Bamba has a lot of potential and natural ability. Clearly, the other skills still have to follow.
No prospect may divide fans more than Trae Young.
With the Oklahoma Sooners, he was their everything in both good and bad ways. He put up incredible and eye-popping scoring numbers, making shots from all points on the court. It is hard to ignore those averages — 27.4 points per game, 8.7 assists per game and 51.8 percent effective field goal percentage.
Trae Young feels like the first player to model his game after Stephen Curry and to do it successfully. There is simply no ignoring the ability to warp defenses like that. And the Magic certainly could use both a point guard and a primary scorer and shooter.
Still, there are a lot of questions about Young. He turned it over 5.2 times per game, by far the most in the nation. And he faced constant double teams. That will not happen in the NBA, but he has to prove that he can score over taller defenders and at the basket.
Young could do all that. His shot will be what makes or breaks him in the NBA. But he is not just his shot. He is a really skilled passer. Almost to the point that we do not talk about it enough.
Taking him would not be bad at all.