Orlando Magic 2020 NBA Draft Big Board: One month to go

The Real Targets

Pros: Aaron Nesmith is perhaps the best shooter in the Draft, scoring 20-plus points per game with effective field goal and true shooting percentages better than 60-percent with a usage rate greater than 25-percent. It is rare to find players who dominate the ball at that rate. More impressively, he did this in an offense tailor-made for him with NBA play sets from coach Jerry Stackhouse.

Cons: Nesmith had a stress fracture in his left foot and has not played since December. He should be good to go by the time the season starts, but that is still a long time off and few teams will be able to see him on a court in any capacity before then. Nesmith works great off the ball, but he is not a great scorer off the dribble.

Pros: Deni Avdija is a versatile forward who plays under control and can do a lot of different skills very well. He is a good shooter. He can drive and pull-up for shots. He defends well. He passes well. This is the Jack-of-all-trades prospect of this group. He played well in Israel, a very well-thought-of league.

Cons: While Avdija is very good at a lot of different things, there is no one skill anyone can say he is elite at. He has to prove he can do all those skills at a NBA level. All while building up his frame more to play bigger players in the NBA and while continuing to improve as a shooter.

Pros: Quietly, Onyeka Okongwu might be the best defensive player in this draft. He averaged 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. His ability to finish around the basket also led him to score 16 points per game. He is a garbage man who works great around the basket doing all the dirty, grimy work that teams need to succeed in general.  Every team needs guys who just want to be physical.

Cons: Okongwu does not have much of an offensive game outside of his putbacks and work around the basket. If a team is drafting him, it is merely just for his defensive ability and energy on the glass. That can be valuable. But it certainly puts a cap on how teams can use him.

Pros: Devin Vassell is considered one of the most complete and NBA-ready prospects in this Draft. He is a great shooter — 41.5-percent shooting from deep — and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He checks every box the Orlando Magic like with his length and athleticism.

Cons: He is not much of a creator and driver, although he is better than people give him credit for on that front. Vassell is not about to become a superstar player in all likelihood. Then came that fated video of him shooting from last week. His shot became a slingshot style that had a lot of people concerned. It did not seem like Vassell needed to remake his shot.

Pros: R.J. Hampton was one of the top high school prospects in the class of 2019 and parlayed that into a deal with an Australia team where he got a baptism by fire and lessons in professionalism. He has a great first step and can get to the basket. He is an explosive playmaker on that front and the potential is there.

Cons: He certainly got humbled in his lone year in Australia. He struggled to shoot and struggled to find consistency. His shot is a major concern. But he reportedly worked with Mike Miller during the pandemic. And that has produced encouraging results. Hampton will have to learn how to play a role and not try to take over all the time though. He tends to settle for mid-range shots rather than getting to and finishing at the rim consistently.

Pros: Cole Anthony is like R.J. Hampton where he is still trading off his high school projections. He was one of the best players in his high school class because of his athleticism and ability to get to the rim. He is a very good driver and scorer. That is still his best skill.

Cons: Anthony struggled with a foot injury and had a poor year at North Carolina. That context is important. But he is perhaps too much of a scorer to be a lead guard. And he is not nearly good enough of a shooter to get away with that too. He has to bring up his other point guard skills, although some of that will come with experience since he is such a good driver.