Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft 3.0: Our final predictions
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft: Final Prediction
Shifting the Top-10
James Bouknight. 6. player. 149. . SG. Oklahoma City Thunder
What the Oklahoma City Thunder do at No. 6 will be extremely interesting. It will be curious to see what direction they go. They might well be the team that believes in Jonathan Kuminga and adds him to their cadre of young players. But I think they will go with the more surehanded James Bouknight. They add another scorer and driver to their roster of young players as this unshaped mass starts to take form.
SG. Golden State Warriors. Keon Johnson. 7. player. 41.
The Golden State Warriors do not really want any young players. They want to get back to title contention and make the most of the final years of Stephen Curry’s prime. So the Warriors are certainly shopping both of their picks to get a star player to help them immediately.
A lot of people then have the Warriors taking Davion Mitchell. Adding a veteran defender who can step right into this professional environment would be a huge benefit to the team. But I think they go a bit off-board and go with Keon Johnson.
The Warriors desperately needed another guard who could get downhill and get to the basket. They need someone who can mix things up. And Johnson’s elite speed would be a huge benefit to the Warriors, even to play alongside Curry. Johnson’s projections run the gamut for sure. But his elite speed would give the Warriors a new element they need.
. G/F. Orlando Magic. Moses Moody. 8. player. 38
I have been driving the Moses Moody train for a long time. I think his skill set fits the Orlando Magic’s needs perfectly on many levels.
They need shooting desperately. Moody is a great shooter in spot-up and on-the-move situations.
They need players with scoring spurtability — like Terrence Ross has given them. Moody had plenty of big scoring games at Arkansas, including four games where he scored 28 or more points against solid opponents like Arkansas and LSU.
He has the length thing checked off — the longest wingspan among guards measured at the NBA Draft Combine, something the Magic have drafted on in the past under Jeff Weltman. Moody still has work to go to become a solid defender. He relies on his length to make defensive plays. But he can get there. Especially if the Magic do not rely on him as a primary creator.
That is probably where Moody is still weak. He is not a great dribbler or ball handler. But the team does not need him to do that.
More than anything, Moody has a high floor. It feels like he has a role in the league as is without a whole lot more improvement. For a team looking to add players, that would be extremely valuable.
The Magic have plenty of other options here too. I have Kuminga falling to this pick and the Magic passing on him twice. That might be a real thing that happens.
They also have reported interest in Ziaire Williams. He would be an extreme reach according to most draft experts at No. 8. And there is always the chance the Magic trade down or trade back into the first to secure him.
For me, Moody is still the best option of them all. At least for what Orlando needs.