Orlando Magic Daily Draft Big Board 3.0: Position Breakdown

Now that the general disappointment of the Draft Lottery has subsided and the focus has turned on scouting and mocking players for the Orlando Magic at the Nos. 5 and 8 spots in the NBA Draft, it is important to take stock of which position groups the Magic should target in this draft based on the current depth chart and positional analysis.

The first place to start is the Magic need just about everything. After a 21-51 season that saw the team finish 14th in the Eastern Conference and the third-worst record in the NBA, the Magic are not in a position to be picky.

Even with all the injuries the team faced last year and some key players returning, Orlando needs better talent as they try to pick up the pieces for this latest rebuild.

The Orlando Magic are entering the NBA Draft with a lot of questions for how to rebuild their roster. While positional need is not a priority, some consideration to the roster as it already exists has to be part of the proocess.

Still, even president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman admits the team has to have some consideration for how the whole puzzle fits together. The team has to put some consideration on its roster.

Today, we will be ranking the positions of need for the Magic heading into the draft as well as some potential targets the Magic can (realistically) draft at their current draft positions.

Orlando Magic Draft Positional Needs: 1. Small Forward

Projected Depth Chart:  Chuma Okeke, Terrence Ross, James Ennis (FA), Dwayne Bacon (FA)

Potential Targets: Jonathan Kuminga, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Johnson

This ranking comes with a few assumptions on the positional classification of Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke. Based on the Orlando Magic’s draft position and the positional versatility of both Isaac and Okeke, both can play multiple positions but both have an injury history in their young careers, it is easy to slot them both at the forward positions. That does not mean the spot is settled, especially off the bench where the undersized Terrence Ross still sits.

Thankfully, this draft class is saturated with incredibly raw yet talented small forward prospects for the Magic to select.

The top small forward in this class among most major draft networks is Jonathan Kuminga, the 19-year-old Congo native who, along with fellow top prospect Jalen Green, famously declined to play college basketball for the G-League Ignite experiment.

The first thing that immediately stands out when watching Kuminga is his length and athleticism – recorded at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, Kuminga is an explosive athlete who has among the greatest physical tools of any prospect in this year’s class.

Orlando Magic

While Kuminga tends to rely on his athleticism, he has shown some shot-making ability and has demonstrated some impressive (although developing) move sets such as a capable fadeaway and spin move along with the ability to cut off the ball.

Although Kuminga may not be the most polished player in this class, it is clear he has the confidence to attempt difficult shots. His fit within the Magic would be seamless.

His length paired with Okeke and Isaac as well as his athleticism paired with R.J. Hampton would create an exciting athletic team with the wingspan to conceivably devastate offenses with switches and athleticism.

Beyond Kuminga, Scottie Barnes and Jalen Johnson are intriguing prospects for the Magic to consider.

Barnes in particular would be a defensive boon when paired with Jonathan Isaac, as his freakish wingspan of 7-foot-2 would be a nightmare for most, if not all, perimeter players. In college he often defended opposing point guards and was more than capable in that spot.

Combined with his strength (227 pounds) and high motor, the Magic would immediately get a pro-ready defensive counterpart to Isaac.

Barnes is capable of distributing the basketball and is comfortable with handling the basketball and commanding the offense — a sentiment shared by Florida State, who started Barnes at point guard.

Barnes’ biggest issue will be his shooting motion, noted by many scouts as his weakness coming into the draft.

Barnes has an awkward shooting motion that needs to be retooled coming into the NBA. This issue, however, is one that Barnes has been working on if his Combine tapes give us any indication.

Kuminga or Barnes would give the Magic a perfect offensive and defensive pairing for the cadre of lengthy, athletic players the Magic currently have and should be the priority for Weltman and crew at either the fifth or the eighth picks.