Orlando Magic Draft Evaluation: Redrafting the Jeff Weltman Era

Conclusion

With the Draft coming into some focus — whenever it might be held — and the understanding the Orlando Magic will have to get something of value out of it, there should be some confidence the Magic can at least hit their weight.

With every draft pick the Magic have made to this point, they have grabbed a player who can contribute at some level. And with where they are likely picking at No. 15 or No. 16 in the draft, they should be able to find a player who can contribute as a rotation player even as a rookie.

There will surely be ups and downs and the Magic should not rely wholly on that player. Rookies need time to acclimate and get used to the NBA. Even the most successful rookies have struggles throughout their first run through the season.

Jeff Weltman has received some criticism for his drafting. Especially his late-first and second-round picks have not maximized the talent available or the spot the team was picking. There have been a few missteps and lost opportunities from passing on picks or selecting similar players with their draft picks.

As with every team, there have been some “misses” as far as finding players drafted later panning out much better than expected.

But for the players the Magic have drafted, they have typically found useful players who have contributed. And honestly contributed fairly quickly.

Even Mohamed Bamba has made positive contributions to the team — most fans I talk to would agree Bamba has earned more minutes, although they are difficult to find behind Nikola Vucevic.

This is a solid tenet of drafting. The Magic have found a philosophy drafting players they like — a type of player and an approach to developing players — and it has largely benefited them. This is good drafting.

But it is not home-run drafting. Nobody would ask the Magic to take the chance on Donovan Mitchell at No. 6. That would have been viewed as crazy at the time. But the missed opportunity is there.

And while the Magic and their fans are very excited for Jonathan Isaac. He does not have star written all over him quite yet.

Especially on offense, the Magic are still searching for that star.

That is not so easy to find and maybe there was no one to take that was evident that fit the Magic’s overall philosophy where they were picking. But that is still the big thing missing — a home-run pick.

Overall, it seems fans should be able to trust Weltman to make solid picks. But everyone is waiting for the pick he hits out of the park to justify some of the other roster decisions the Magic have made the last three years.