Orlando Magic Daily’s Final NBA Draft Big Board
Tier 2
This next handful of prospects is the Magic’s realistic range. The line of demarcation between these tiers is the third-tier prospects either have less elite starter potential or more downside risk in terms of contributions to winning than the second tier prospects do.
3
Trae Young PG
Scouting Report
4
Wendell Carter Jr. Big
Scouting Report
5
Mohamed Bamba Big
Scouting Report
Trae Young heads up Tier Two because of his upside as a generational passing and shooting talent. There have been at most five other players to enter the league in the past 10 years with his intersection of court vision, passing accuracy, passing versatility and jump shot versatility.
The defensive woes give him legitimate downside. But Young is the exact kind of ceiling swing that makes sense for the Magic philosophically.
Wendell Carter Jr. and Mohamed Bamba are similarly high-level prospects but very different players.
Bamba’s upside is as a traditional rim protector and pick-and-pop threat. His poor mobility gets him into trouble defending in space or elevating for lobs.
Carter is a do-it-all center with a high floor whose passing and ball-handling could help maximize the Magic’s non-creating wings as Al Horford and David West have throughout their careers.
Tier 3
6
DeAndre Ayton Big
Scouting Report
7
De'Anthony Melton PG
Scouting Report
8
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG
Scouting Report
9
Miles Bridges Wing
Scouting Report
10
Mikal Bridges Wing
Scouting Report
This tier is headed up by an athletic big man who is a good bet to rebound, run the floor and dominate switches.
But Deandre Ayton is a poor bet to defend at a high level. He struggles to create shots for himself and others in non-advantage situations (due to lack of handling fluidity and anticipation). Ayton also does not play hard consistently or shoot effectively from the perimeter.
Ayton physically overwhelmed NCAA bigs — and will physically overwhelm many NBA players. But he does not have the dribbling ability, jump shot range, feel on either end or consistent motor of a true superstar.
He is further hurt by his bad defensive awareness, effort and decision-making and will have his value as a non-elite offensive creator easily diminished by getting targeted with actions off the ball or being forced into high leverage help situations.
De’Anthony Melton is a combo guard with a visibly improved jumper, the best motor in this guard class, elite defensive instincts, cutting instincts, feel on both ends, good size and good athleticism. Ayton is a more certain bet to put up impressive box score stats and highlights while Melton fits perfectly as a versatile modern defensive piece, even if he is not an All-Star caliber lead guard offensively.
It is not likely Melton will go in the Lottery. He spent a year away from basketball thanks to a NCAA suspension that cost im the entire season. He could be a good value pick late in the first round. Especially if his shot improves dramatically.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can be the best guard in this class if he fills his frame out. His lack of strength and physicality make him a mediocre defender despite his length and solid instincts.
He has a good sense of proprioception for a wiry player as young as he is, demonstrating an understanding for using length extension to finish at the rim and positioning his legs to change speeds. That foundation bodes well for how much functional improvement he could glean from getting into an NBA strength-and-conditioning program.
There is a massive dropoff between his spot-up shooting effectiveness and pull-up effectiveness that is simultaneously concerning but also can be chalked up to fixable technical issues. Fixing that and developing his frame more could make him a fearsome, scalable backcourt weapon, but he falls behind Melton largely because he lacks Melton’s top shelf instinct, effort and shot versatility flashes.
Miles Bridges is a do-it-all wing who can play multiple positions, shoot off the dribble and movement while defending moderately well in spite of his poor wingspan. And Mikal Bridges is a versatile shooter, sound team defender and an underwhelming isolation defender.
Neither Miles Bridges, Mikal Bridges nor Gilgeous-Alexander is particularly likely to become an All-Star. But they still can offer lots of value to good teams.