The Orlando Magic made the 2021 NBA Draft vitally important to the franchise’s history back in March when they traded Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon. Stripping the roster to its studs and going all-in on a <ahem> tanking protocol with a roster far too young to win consistently signaled the team’s intention.
It worked up until the Lottery. The Magic “earned” the best odds to win the Lottery on the final night of the season and positioned themselves well to win the top pick in a celebrated draft class.
The ping pong balls did not bounce Orlando’s way though. The team fell to the fifth pick.
That does not mean the team’s rebuilding plan is gone. Anything can happen on draft night. And the team was likely to need multiple trips to the Lottery to rebuild their base.
The debate that has raged since then is how the Magic should spend their two picks — fifth and eighth — and how best to position the franchise for its future. Orlando may not get a clear crack at the consensus top four of this draft. But the team will still get two quality players in the end.
Draft day is finally here and the Orlando Magic await their opportunity to select a player who can change their franchise and their future.
And they are two players who will be consequential to the Magic’s future. Key pieces to the team as it grows from the ground up and tries to get back into playoff contention. Orlando has to hope and believe the two players the team picks Thursday night will be part of the team’s rotation when that day inevitably comes.
The Magic have been coy as ever with their strategy and their beliefs. It is widely believed Orlando has settled on Scottie Barnes at No. 5. What the team might do at No. 8 is anybody’s guess.
The team will not say it needs a star specifically, only that it needs two quality players to add to their group. But the Magic absolutely need to take some big swings and go for it. They need to find that central piece to build their roster and restart the franchise.
We have already gone through a mock draft a few times. Our latest, published yesterday, was a group effort that began back at the Lottery once the draft order was set. But here on the day of the draft, it would make sense to put all of our thoughts about the teams aside and look at what is more likely to happen.
Below is a prediction of how the draft will actually play out with some notes on the goings-on ahead of the draft.
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft: Final Predictions
The Top Guys
Everyone wants to complicate this decision and rumors always swirl right before the draft, but the No. 1 pick often goes exactly how everyone thinks. Cade Cunningham is the clear pick as someone who can do it all as a big point guard too.
Similar to everything else, all the signs point to the Houston Rockets taking Jalen Green. He may well end up the best scorer in this draft. And in the debate of drafting an elite scoring wing over an elite big, even with the MVP candidacies of Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, the wings should win in this current league.
Talking to people around the league, there are a lot of thoughts about the Cleveland Cavaliers and what they might do. There are a lot of talks they might trade down and the Orlando Magic are certainly among the teams trying to push up to get to this pick.
But in the end, I think the Cavaliers are merely gathering information. They are not that desperate to dump Kevin Love (especially to a non-contender) and they have some talent to work with. Passing on a versatile center like Evan Mobley would be a huge mistake.
The Toronto Raptors will provide plenty of intrigue. On one hand, the Raptors are not in need of a superstar player. They have Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet and so finding a glue guy to help them return to playoff contention would make a lot of sense. That would be Scottie Barnes, a player who fills in gaps and defends well.
Then again, the Raptors could lose Lowry in free agency this offseason. And Siakam could be on the move too. Toronto might be set for a restart. And that would lead them to drafting Jalen Suggs, a genuine leader and glue guy as a guard with great scoring and attacking abilities.
Orlando would love for Suggs to fall to them at No. 5. The team might do backflips if that happens. And it definitely could. Do not write Suggs in sharpie here.
But Suggs is still the likely pick. At the end of the day, Toronto should stick to talent and go with that.
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft: Final Prediction
The Magic’s pick
The conventional wisdom around the league is the Orlando Magic will take Scottie Barnes at No. 5 if the top four goes as everyone expects. For the first time in a while, there seems like a consensus for the Magic’s pick. Which is even more puzzling considering there is no consensus over who the fifth-best player in this draft is.
That points to Barnes being the pick. So, it would be hard right now not to project that is how things will go.
The Jonathan Kuminga-Scottie Barnes debate has consumed these pages for a long while now.
A lot of have leaned on the fact Kuminga projects as a better scorer and potential star. He certainly has the confidence in himself to be that good of a player. Kuminga physically checks all the boxes the team likes. And if he is willing to work and improve, he could be the star the Magic need.
If Orlando needs to take a star swing on someone at No. 5, Kuminga is probably the pick.
But that only tells half the story. He had a really disappointing season in the G-League Ignite. He finished the year with a knee injury — he said during his media availability it was tendinitis — and there were moments where scouts believed he was disinterested.
His game is so raw at this point that if a team does not believe he can reach his potential, it is hard to pinpoint what else he would do. This is the ultimate boom-or-bust pick.
All the signs pointing toward Barnes suggest the Magic do not believe Kuminga can hit that star potential.
That should not take away from Barnes and how good he can be.
He is a great defender already and is a superb ball-handler and playmaker for a 6-foot-9 forward. That kind of versatility checks off a lot of boxes for the Magic. They like players like Barnes. And maybe that is why he has universally become the Magic’s pick.
I am not sold Barnes’ offense will come around. His game looked clunky at Florida State and the Seminoles used him more as a change of pace chaos-maker off the bench. That is all good. And Barnes can play that role.
Barnes projects more as a glue guy rather than a central figure. And that is my trepidation of picking Barnes. Even if Orlando takes Barnes at five, I would be open for trading the pick and moving down to net some other asset and the player that really could fill that star role.
But Barnes is my pick for now.
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft: Final Prediction
Shifting the Top-10
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.
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.
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.
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft: Final Prediction
Rounding out the Lottery
Jonathan Kuminga cannot slip too far down the rankings. And while it is widely believed the Sacramento Kings have made a promise to take Franz Wagner, why would they pass on a talent like Jonathan Kuminga? Especially considering the team has several young players ready to break out too. Maybe this busts because it is Sacramento or maybe this is the pick that finally saves the franchise.
The New Orleans Pelicans are set to move this pick to the Memphis Grizzlies as the Grizzlies look to add one more elite talent to their young core. It sure feels like the plan then is to go for a home run swing. There may not be a bigger one than Jalen Johnson. He showed a ton of offensive potential in his short stint at Duke. There just is not a lot of tape to review with him.
The Charlotte Hornets were the surprise team last season as LaMelo Ball immediately injected excitement and energy to the team. Gordon Hayward chose the team and helped them reach the playoffs. Taking a pick here on a player who can make an immediate impact and fill a need makes the most sense. That is Alperen Sengun, the MVP of the Turkish Super League last year at 18 years old. He has a ton of offensive potential and skill and would be a great pick and roll partner for the Hornets’ guards.
The San Antonio Spurs love going with unique and versatile players. Their group of guards in Derrick White and Dejounte Murray are not traditional playmaking guards. They both love to attack and get downhill. Adding a great playmaker like Josh Giddey from Australia would be a huge boost to them, giving them a playmaker who can direct traffic for the team.
It is hard to figure out what the Indiana Pacers want right now. The team is reportedly trying to move around in this draft and shake things up. But this franchise has always been a playoff contender. And that will not change with Rick Carlisle in charge. Rick Carlisle loves tough-minded point guards and so Davion Mitchell would be a great fit to solidify their guard group. He should be ready to contribute quickly to a playoff team too.
If the Golden State Warriors stick with this pick, I think they stick with a veteran player who can contribute and slot into their team quickly. Franz Wagner is considered one of the better defenders in this draft. And so he would quickly slot in and give the team size and defensive smarts on the court. His 3-point shot is also good enough that he should be a nominal shooting threat quickly too.
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft: Final Prediction
The Middle First Round
Cameron Thomas was an elite scoring prospect at LSU. Whether that translates to the NBA is going to be one of the more difficult questions in this draft class. A lot of teams appear to be high on him, but not everyone shares that opinion.
Usman Garuba is still a fairly raw power forward prospect. But his energy and athleticism are something worth developing and exploring. Going to a rebuilding team would be perfect for him to continue that growth.
This pick will be heading to the New Orleans Pelicans as they complete their salary dump and position themselves for free agency. New Orleans then wants players who can contribute immediately. Grabbing a shooter like Corey Kispert fits that bill. He is a solid shooter at every facet and is the perfect role player to spread the floor for a Pelicans team hoping to make the playoff leap.
The Orlando Magic are reportedly hunting for Ziaire Williams with some people believing the team could take him at No. 8. Obviously, with how low I — and many others — have him, that would be an extreme reach. It is hard to figure out where the Magic would need to trade to get a deal for him done. But it would seem it would be in this range just outside the Lottery.
Williams is a gifted scorer who can get downhill and to the basket well. He has fluid movement and is an effective driver. His shot disappeared last year, but many believe that was because of COVID long-haul issues that will get better over time. He was an effective and solid shooter in high school.
The New York Knicks are hunting for guards who can shoot to spread the floor and help the team take its next step after their surprise Playoff run last year. Whether New York tries to speed up too fast for their talent or not is another story. But Chris Duarte is a perfect pick for them and one they are supposedly hunting too.
Duarte is one of the older players in the draft, but he is also one of the best shooters. He will fit in really nicely with playoff-level teams.
Sharife Cooper is one of the more dynamic and interesting guards in this draft. Teams really like his speed and ability to break down defenses. He can get downhill and finish at the rim with ease. Those are skills that work better at the NBA than the college level
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft: Final Prediction
Finishing the first round
Kai Jones is one of the more intriguing prospects in this draft. He has versatility to float on the perimeter and hit shots. But it is far from consistent at this point. Jones will remain a promising project early in his career.
Trey Murphy is an intriguing prospect with his size and defensive ability coming out of Virginia. He shot better than 40-percent last year from deep too. At this point of the draft, finding specialty skills is vital to success.
Tre Mann had a solid career at Florida, breaking through with his junior year last year. He does a good job getting into the lane and hitting floaters. He is also a solid shooter.
Isaiah Jackson has all the potential and growth to be a solid forward in the NBA. The question is whether all those pieces come together. His inconsistent year at Kentucky did not present a who e lot of confidence in him. But an all-SEC defensive team selection is promising.
Jared Butler was a key cog to a national championship Baylor team and that should get him a serious NBA look. He averaged more than 16 points per game in each of the last two seasons and improved from 38-percent shooting from deep last year to better than 40-percent.
Personally, I am still a bit confused why Quentin Grimes is not getting more buzz as a potential first-round pick. He is a solid defender and scorer with good instincts to position himself for shots. His age is the only downside. But that only makes him a more valuable role player for a playoff team.
Filip Petrusev led the Adriatic League in scoring and won the league’s MVP last year. After two solid years at Gonzaga, he turned pro and seemed to take to the pro game. He needs to add strength, but he has all the solid footwork and skills you would expect from a big man today.
Joshua Primo is a dynamic guard who is still raw. But he can be a great downhill attacker and a good reach for a team hoping to get a little bit of upside from him.
JT Thor is one of the more intriguing athletes in this draft. He is big and has fluid movement to handle the ball on the perimeter. But he has to put all the pieces together still. He might have done better staying in college one more year to allow these skills to coalesce because they are all there.
Charles Bassey averaged a double-double in two of his three seasons at Western Kentucky, including 17.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game last year. He is still a bit earth-bound, but he showed at least some willingness to shoot from deep and some potential there (although it did not improve year over year).
There you have our final mock draft. Who do you have the Magic taking?