The Orlando Magic will have options when the NBA Draft comes around in October. On the day the Draft was supposed to be held, here is our first mock draft.
Thursday was supposed to be the NBA Draft.
It is this time of year that we are usually beginning to think about how the Orlando Magic would solve all their problems after decompressing from the end of another season — this time with a second straight trip to the Playoffs. And we get to the difficult task of seeing how the team will shape.
For a team like the Magic with little cap room, the Draft is a critical time.
They can look to add talent through the draft or begin shaping the roster through trades. By this point, they would know if Evan Fournier was going to opt-out of his contract and what the team’s free agency outlook might look like.
The board for the offseason would be laid out. All Jeff Weltman would have to do is make the first move.
Of course, that is not the case this year. The coronavirus has put the entire season on hold. Only now is the league ramping up to get ready to finish off the season. And we are still one month away from games resuming.
The Playoffs will not begin until August 17. The Draft will take place shortly after Game 7 of the Finals, scheduled for October 13. It all still feels a long way off. October 16 is a lifetime away. And there is a lot to get to until then.
But the Draft is always an ongoing process. It never stops just because the season has. Teams are always evaluating and figuring out what they need to do.
Even though the Magic still have a lot of basketball to be played — at least 10 games left this season — they also have to have an understanding of what they need to do to improve their roster this year. Their plans for the offseason should already be set, only changing with whatever opportunities arise in the process.
That includes a careful understanding of their goals in the Draft. The Magic are indeed in a position where they could do just about anything.
This is not a Draft with a lot of top-end talent. But still, Orlando could use this as an opportunity to try to trade up and bring in one of the better players in this Draft. They could stand pat and find a quality role player. Or they could look to trade out of the Draft, hoping to package it into something they could use for next year.
In any scenario, this is a very big Draft day coming up.
At this point, we know the Magic’s m.o. They want players with length and versatility. Orlando has had a drafting philosophy under Weltman of taking the best player on their board and figuring they can teach skills.
The time to follow that strategy might be nearing an end. And the team already has Chuma Okeke waiting in the wings for his rookie year next season.
With all that in mind, it is time to take a more formal and early look at the Draft class. In honor of today being the original date for the NBA Draft, let’s do a mock draft. For the purposes of this exercise, we will not run a Lottery and seed teams by their order of finish when the season closed down.
The Top Picks
The Orlando Magic have already been rumored as a team that could potentially move up in the Draft. There is a lot of fantasy trading going on to figure out how the Magic get one of the top players in this Draft.
Of course, that is a double-edged sword too. The reason the top pick is up for grabs, it would seem, is because the top of this draft is not altogether impressive.
Is there a player the Magic truly believe in that they would be willing to trade assets to acquire? Is this the all-in move the Magic are looking to make?
I believe that it is not. I do not think there is a player at the top of this Draft that makes the Magic appreciably better than what they have already.
The top pick in this Draft is ripe to get traded if the Golden State Warriors win it. They are a veteran team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all still in their prime. They still have championship aspirations. The Warriors need to supplement their roster and add depth, but this is a team that feels pretty complete.
After adding Andrew Wiggins at the trade deadline eliminated the need to grab another wing player like Anthony Edwards. The Warriors would probably pick him or LaMelo Ball if they were looking to trade the pick.
The Warriors have long sought a center though. And Wiseman could be a center who fits the modern style. He is a big 7-foot-1 and able to crash the lane and has shown potential to step out to the perimeter. He did not play this year with the Memphis Tigers because of an eligibility issue. But Wiseman is as talented as centers come in these days.
Anthony Edwards is the likely top pick in the Draft. He is a dominant scorer, averaging 19.1 points per game for the Georgia Bulldogs last year. Edwards’ athleticism stands out above everything else. And you put him on the ball and he will fill up a stat sheet.
But Edwards does not seem to be like a scorer who can translate better to the NBA. He is a great scorer and athlete, but not an elite one. There is a reason there is not much clamor to draft him. He scored at a high volume but without efficiency.
There are questions about how he would fit into a NBA offense. Especially if he is not the dominant scorer he was with Georgia. Edwards will be able to put up numbers, especially early on with the bad team. But he does not project as a runaway star.
The Ball family has taken a step back from the headlines. Lonzo Ball has carved out a niche as a defensive-minded point guard. He is not the superstar that his father claimed he would be. But Lonzo Ball still has proven himself worthy. His brother took a whole lot fewer headlines on his way up, but he is every bit as good as his older brother.
LaMelo spent his year after high school in Australia. He got humbled a bit there, but still played well. He, like his brother, is a good-sized point guard who has a penchant for flashy passing. He can make plays off the dribble.
But his shot is still a work in progress. And that is probably the most important thing from a guard at this point. He could very well be the first pick material too.
The Next Tier
This year’s NBA Draft is fairly center heavy. As most Orlando Magic fans would tell you, the last thing the team needs right now is another center — or more versatile small forward/power forward types.
I am not super enamored with the players at the very top of this draft — a clear top three has developed for sure — the players in this next tier are certainly players I do not view as potentially better than what the Magic have or able to help the team significantly in the short-term.
I do not think the Magic would move up this far to get any of these players.
The Atlanta Hawks have plenty of young shooters and players they are likely not looking to add another one. Nor is there really one that stands out as adding more to what the Hawks have. Onyeka Okongwu has presented plenty of intrigue as a center after averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game at USC. He is an athletic defender, but a bit undersized for the bigger players in the league. He would do well to apprentice under Clint Capela early on in his career.
Isaac Okoro is going to be the versatile forward that everyone will put their hopes in. Just nobody really knows how good he can be. The athletic 6-foot-8 forward averaged 12.9 points per game last year and shot 51.4 percent from the floor. He did not have great range, making less than 30-percent of his 3-pointers. He would get drafted more on his potential to continue growing.
Orlando Magic fans have certainly had an eye on Tyrese Haliburton as a potential trade-up target. The 6-foot-5 point guard has all the tools the Magic like from a player. He is long (6-foot-7 wingspan) and athletic and made his name on defense before finding his scoring touch last year.
Haliburton averaged 15.2 points per game and 6.5 assists per game, making 41.9-percent of his 3-pointers for good measure. He has a lot of tools that make him a smart basketball player. And the sign of his growth from his freshman and sophomore year was encouraging.
The question for him is whether he can truly be a point guard at the next level and run and offense. He is not great at creating in the half court although he makes smart decisions once he gets going. That inability to break players down off the dribble is the only major concern with him.
The other guard Magic fans have eyed as a potential trade-up candidate is Killian Hayes. The 6-foot-5 point guard similarly has the profile the Magic like. He is a dynamic driver and a good playmaker for his size. He is a really strong ball-handler and passer for his age.
Hayes is a smart player and he has learned to use the tools he has very well. He is not super athletic, but he has a good burst when the lane opens up. The athleticism issues will show up more defensively than anywhere else. He should still be able to compete there.
Mainly the issue with Hayes is that he is young and a bit overconfident. He can try to do too much because he is such a gifted passer. Those are things players can fix as they grow up and develop.
Israel has a rich basketball history, but not too many domestic products who have made it to the NBA. Avdija is possibly the best young prospect to come out of the basketball-crazed nation. And he has a lot of skills that can translate to the NBA. He has a good jumper and is a smart player in the half-court. But he does not have any one elite skill. He is good at a lot of things though.
The Real Draft Candidates
As we get further down the Draft ladder, we start getting to the prospects the Orlando Magic are really focused on. The guys they are most likely to pick around No. 15 when they ultimately get up to select.
As you can see, there are some solid players in this Draft. Maybe not superstars but quality role players they should be able to make something of. Finding the right role player is going to be key. And the Magic might be willing to move up into this area to make sure they get the guy they want.
Florida State Seminoles guard Devin Vassell might be the No. 1 guy on most Orlando Magic fans’ draft boards. There is a good reason for that. In this Draft vacuum, Vassell has probably climbed higher up than anyone else. He is exactly what teams want in a swing guard.
Vassell scored 12.7 points per game and shot 41.5-percent from beyond the arc. He has great length at 6-foot-7 and is a good defender. You have to be to play at Florida State. That is why so many of Leonard Hamilton’s players have made it in the NBA. Florida State has a type and that type performs well.
Vassell can do more than just shoot and defend. But he is a prototypical 3-and-D guy. He understands what role he should play. It feels like Vassell might be the safest player in the Draft period. That is always a bit concerning as only time will tell if those skills that shined in college translate to the NBA.
Obi Toppin took the college world by storm in leading the Dayton Flyers into the top-10 and perhaps their best team in program history. Toppin is a super athletic power forward who works really well as a traditional power forward with the athleticism to defend on the perimeter. Toppin will have to expand his offensive game to really make an impact in the NBA.
After Devin Vassell, Orlando Magic fans likely have eyes on Aaron Nesmith. And there is a good reason for that. He averaged an eye-popping 23.0 points per game while making 52.2-percent from beyond the arc. All this on a 26.3 percent usage rate. It is rare to see that kind of efficiency on that kind of high-usage.
Nesmith got a lot of his points on cuts and working off screens. He can pull up for three and attack in the mid-range. This is the next coming of Richard Hamilton in so many ways. Nesmith is a dynamic scorer who should be able to fit in anywhere.
That is if he is healthy. Nesmith missed the last half of the season with a broken leg. While that injury is certainly one he can recover from, it is still concerning. Especially with how this Draft process is going to be disconnected. Nesmith is probably not the kind of scorer you can build a whole offense around. But that shooting should make him a solid pickup wherever he ends up.
R.J. Hampton entered the draft process as one of the can’t-miss prospects. He was one of the top high school players and was heading to Australia to turn pro early. He was a dynamic athlete who could get to the basket and finish at the rim.
The returns from his lone year overseas were not good. He struggled to fit in with older players and hold his own against the growing Australian League. An injury did not help. And everyone seemed to sour some on him. He was simply not able to display the full extent of his talent last year.
Hampton still has all that potential. And someone is going to bite on that. He could still improve as a shooter and a defender. He relies a ton on his athleticism to overpower players and that is what got him in trouble. Many scouts hope that last year humbled him some to prepare him to enter the NBA.
Jeff Weltman’s jaw must be on the floor when he thinks about Tyrese Maxey. He is a 6-foot-3 point guard with a 6-foot-8 wingspan. He oozes with the kind of defensive potential the Magic have sought after and he is certainly going to be one of the players the team considers when it is time to draft.
The physical tools are all there. But the question is whether he can truly take on the point guard role. Maxey averaged 14.0 points per game and 3.2 assists per game. He shot worse than 30-percent from beyond the arc. There would need to be a lot of skills teaching to make Maxey work.
The Magic have always felt like they could transform players like this. But drafting Maxey will likely mean taking a bit of a project. The good news is that Maxey showed some hope he could develop that way. He had a strong finish to the season, averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting 42.9-percent from the floor in his last 12 games.
The do-everything athletic prospect of this draft is Patrick Williams. With his talent, he would be a steal going this late. Williams averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for Florida State. He is one of the youngest players in this Draft and so he is all potential. The flashes at Florida State will be more than enough to get him drafted, even if all his skills are still extremely raw.
The Magic’s Pick
The Orlando Magic clearly have a lot of options on the table. The guys fans really want might well be gone by the time they pick here. The hopes of adding a shooter are likely tied to how the Draft goes down. Outside of Devin Vassell and Aaron Nesmith, there probably are not many knock-down shooters the Magic should jump on.
Instead, it feels like this Draft will be one for the Magic to shore up their depth. And with the number of point guards in this draft — and potentially quality backup point guards — it is here where the Magic should put at least some of their focus.
Both Michael Carter-Williams and D.J. Augustin hitting free agency this summer, it is reasonable to believe the Magic could let one walk and use the draft for their third or backup point guard — Steve Clifford likes to run a lot of two point guard lineups.
Even with how this mock draft has shaken up, there are options here between North Carolina Tar Heels guard Cole Anthony and France’s Theo Maledon. Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyrese Maxey and guard R.J. Hampton certainly could fall to this spot.
But I go with Theo Maledon as the pick for the Magic at this juncture. He presents a player who should be able to fill in that backup or spot-minute role quickly and contribute faster with still some potential to grow and support Markelle Fultz ahead of him.
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Maledon is fundamentally sound in every way. He is not an explosive athlete, something that might hold him back at the end of the day and limit his potential. But he is smart about how he drives and gets into the lane. He uses the athleticism he has well. If you give him a window, he will take it and get into the paint to draw fouls or score.
Maledon is a creative passer but he plays very much within himself. He knows what he is capable of and plays within that. Especially on defense, this is valuable. He is not taking any unnecessary risks.
He is not a great shooter yet. He is sometimes hesitant to shoot jumpers. But he was making them at a solid clip that as he gains strength and confidence, he should be able to add that to his game.
Coming to a place like Orlando with a solid foundation and the expectation to fill only a minor role could help him gain that confidence. Clearly defining what he needs to do and things he needs to work on should make him a better player in the long run.
Maledon will go through the ups and downs of a rookie, but I think he would be a very successful and smart pick for the Magic.
The Other Targets
The way this NBA Draft class is setting up, the Orlando Magic should feel like they can get a quality player at No. 15 if they stay put. They should have some options they feel good about and should be able to find some players who fit their style.
But there is a pretty significant drop off after that. The players become significantly less interesting and less useful to where the Magic are at. It is realistic to see the Magic opting out of this draft with Chuma Okeke set for his rookie year too and try to add a veteran.
The Memphis Tigers’ plans of pairing some of the best freshmen in the country together quickly fell apart when James Wiseman was declared ineligible. They also had to deal with the fact that freshmen are really young and make a ton of mistakes. Precious Achiuwa did not live up to expectations at all, but he still averaged 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He still works on raw talent. But his physical profile will give any team something to work with.
Cole Anthony is probably the other guy I would take for the Orlando Magic with how I have the draft playing out. He is an athletic and dynamic guard who can play on or off the ball at his best. He finishes well at the rim and has great size for his position.
The problem was we did not see that Anthony at all for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He averaged only 18.5 points per game and 4.0 assists per game. That shows his dynamism and how good he can be. But this still felt like a disappointment.
Anthony dealt with an injury for most of the season. That certainly plays a factor in all of this. But his overconfidence often got him into traps. He needs to play with better control and pace. Especially if he is going to be a lead guard in the NBA.
Kira Lewis is another interesting point guard prospect in this Draft after averaging 18.5 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. He is extremely quick and that helps him get to the basket. Even though his shooting numbers do not jump off the page, he is a solid shooter.
Lewis is still learning how to lead a team and when to attack and finish at the rim. These are all normal issues for young players. So going to the right system and playing with the right team is going to be vital to his ultimate success.
The Magic would be fine drafting Lewis too. He gives them a speed element the team does not really have, especially if they want to continue pushing the pace. But learning some control is going to be the early battle with him.
Jaden McDaniels averaged 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last year for the Washington Huskies. That is a solid production for a young player. And the flashes and athleticism he showed suggest he can continue to improve in almost every way.
If the Orlando Magic are dead set on finding a shooter, Saddiq Bey is an interesting guy to reach for. He was a solid scorer as an undersized power forward for the Villanova Wildcats, averaging 16.1 points per game and making 45.1-percent of his 3-pointers. Bey is going to slot in as a 3-and-D player who can guard multiple positions with his size.
Bey did a lot for a very good Villanova team — another college program known for producing quality role players who get it the moment they step into the league. And Bey should be able to find a role somewhere.
But he is a stocky 6-foot-8. He is listed at 216 pounds and he uses every bit of that weight to guard taller players and body up smaller players. But the question is whether he has the athleticism and speed to keep up defensively at the NBA level.
The Rest of the First Round
Here is the rest of the first round to finish off our first mock draft:
Argentinian Leandro Bolmoro is a tall point guard at 6-foot-7 who is a solid playmaker and a pest defensively. He will need some time to catch up to NBA competition and improve his offensive skill set.
Tyler Bey was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year this year and averaged 13.8 points per game. He can guard multiple positions and has a big 7-foot wingspan. His biggest issue is his lack of 3-point shooting. He made more than 40-percent of his threes last year but took only one attempt per game.
Aleksej Pokusevski is more of a power forward than a center and the Miami Heat love their sweet-shooting big men. Pokusevski has a 7-foot-3 wingspan and does well working off screens as a shooter. Teams will have to be smart with their scouting and research on him as he has not played a ton this season.
Cassius Winston had a stellar and legendary college career with the Michigan State Spartans. His size is about the only thing that could keep him from getting drafted higher. But his scoring exploits and basketball smarts should give him a fair chance of making it in the NBA.
Josh Green is an athletic 6-foot-6 guard who has shown a lot of promise in a lot of areas. He does not really stand out in any one way — he averaged a solid 12.0 points per game last year with the Arizona Wildcats. Green has the physical profile to make things work in the NBA. But he has a lot of work to do to make a real impact.
Robert Woodard proved to be a solid versatile forward at the college level, averaging 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He does a good job filling out gaps and being the perfect role player. That is if he can stand up at the NBA level. His versatility defensively should make him valuable if he can.
Isaiah Stewart is a stout 6-foot-9 who knows how to use his strength and weight to play defense at center and dominate the post. He averaged 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Those are good numbers. But at his size, he probably is not more than a backup.
I fully recognize that I have Nico Mannion going way later than he actually will. But I am just not enamored with him. He has gaudy assist numbers and is a really athletic player. But he makes a ton of mistakes an dis not a great shooter. His athleticism will give him a chance, but Mannion is kind of on my “Do Not Draft” list for the Orlando Magic. This mock probably reflects how low I am on him.
The Texas Tech point guard averaged 15.0 points per game and made 42.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc. His offensive prowess is pretty well known. He can score in almost any way. And being on a team like the Los Angeles Lakers where he does not have to do a ton of ball handling might help him more.
Jordan Nwora was a gifted scorer with the Louisville Cardinals last year, averaging 18.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He put up some stellar games in big moments too. But Nwora doe snot really have a position and his ability to defend and create his own shot at the NBA level are still big question marks.
We will be back with another Mock Draft when the draft process really begins to pick up during the Playoffs.