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Orlando Magic NBA Draft Preview: The shooters the Magic should target

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Josh Green is a growing player and potential shooter coming from Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
Josh Green is a growing player and potential shooter coming from Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
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R.J. Hampton, New Zealand Breakers

At the beginning of the year, there were several players that had already caught a lot of scouts’ attention for the top of the draft.

James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton were probably near the top of most draft boards at the beginning of the summer. All three did not get a ton of moments in the spotlight or play very much this year, adding to the mystery of this draft.

Wiseman played in only a handful of games before the NCAA revoked his eligibility and he withdrew from the school. Ball went to Australia and played until January when he left his team.

Hampton left for New Zealand, also choosing not to go the college route. Another non-traditional route for an American player.

Hampton started the year at the top of the draft class, but now it is a bit more uncertain where he will end up.

He is listed at 6-foot-5 as a combo guard. But he is more of a scorer than a point guard. He can attack the rim and finish with athleticism.

That is probably his biggest attribute right now. He plays quick and can get downhill toward the basket where he can finish above the rim or make plays to others. Like a lot of young point guards, the open floor is his friend.

He is able to hit from the outside, but it is not his strength yet.

Hampton is still relying mostly on his athleticism. He has a lot of the tools to be a great defender, but he has not put all the pieces together.

He very much looked like a young player going up against men in his time in the NBL in Australia and New Zealand.

That will be the biggest thing with Hampton it seems, the patience for him to figure everything out. He probably doe snot work as well on a team like the Magic with an already established pecking order at point guard unless they brought him in to be the leader of the second unit.

While Hampton, having played on a professional team in a pretty good league in Australia, might be more equipped to handle that than the typical rookie, he probably does not quite fill in and impact a playoff team immediately.

Then again, the talent is undoubtedly there for him.