The Orlando Magic reportedly signed Daquan Jeffries after going undrafted. He should be a real contender to make the regular season roster.
The Orlando Magic entered the NBA Draft with the Nos. 16 and 46 picks. They only ended up using one of those picks though.
With their first-round pick, they selected Auburn Tigers forward Chuma Okeke, who is ideal for today’s NBA. But he tore his ACL in late March and will miss most, if not all, of the 2020 season.
The Magic then traded the 46th pick (Talen Horton-Tucker) to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash and a future pick. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said Orlando opted to trade this pick because the roster is filled with young talent already, and the team did not need another rookie after Okeke.
The youthful pile of talent Orlando boasts is certainly true. And they all possess individual skill sets that are useful in the modern style of play. But that is not the end of it for Orlando. The team has used its Summer League roster before to load up its roster, famously mining Isaiah Briscoe out of obscurity before camp began.
The Magic hope they can do it again. They have signed an undrafted free agent who is another multi-positional defender with shooting ability. He could be in contention to make the roster after training camp.
DaQuan Jeffries signed an unspecified contract with the Orlando Magic after going undrafted. He will suit up for the team in the Vegas Summer League.
Sources: Tulsa’s DaQuan Jeffries has agreed to an undrafted free-agent deal with the Orlando Magic.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 21, 2019
Jeffries was considered one of the best undrafted players remaining after Thursday’s draft. And there is plenty of consideration that he could be with the team beyond Summer League and into the season.
Jeffries started his collegiate career with the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles before transferring to Western Texas Community College and finally landing with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, where he played two seasons.
Jeffries led Tulsa in points (13.8 points per game), steals (1.0 steals per game) and blocks (1.2 blocks per game) last season. He also finished second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game. He shot 36.6 percent on 4.4 3-point attempts per game last season and shot 37.7 percent in his one season at Oral Roberts and two seasons at Tulsa.
That shooting clip is key to him making the Magic or any team beyond this summer, especially considering how well of a team player he is offensively.
Jeffries has a great feel for the game and keeps the ball moving. His assists numbers (1.8 per game last season) are not high, but it does not indicate how he can make passes off the bounce and in traffic.
Defensively is where he is an exciting prospect, particularly for Orlando.
Jeffries is 6-foot-5, 215.6 pounds with a 6-foot-11.25 wingspan. That is a big-bodied player with a long wingspan who uses it effectively, something the blocks and steals numbers indicate. He logged time at power forward at Tulsa and can hold his own against all five positions on the floor.
Combine his solid shooting and smart offensive game with his size, athletic ability and effort on the defensive side of the ball and it is easy to envision Jeffries finding a role in the NBA. Especially considering how NBA teams are scouting the world looking for players who can shoot and defend across the board.
The Magic already have a trio of 3-and-D wings with Melvin Frazier, Wesley Iwundu and now Chuma Okeke, so Daquan Jeffries faces an uphill battle to make the roster, not to mention Weltman’s thoughts on loading the roster with too many rookies.
But Jeffries could sign a one-year deal to offset Okeke’s injury for the season and attempt to prove over a season that he can hold his own in the NBA.
Jeffries failed to hear his name called in the NBA Draft, but he now has a summer to show his game is perfect for the modern NBA. If he makes threes and play effective defense in Vegas, Jeffries could play himself into a roster spot for the Magic.