Orlando Magic Daily 2022 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0: Before the Madness

Orlando Magic 2022 NBA Draft Big Board

Tier 2 Players

NCAA Tournament First Round: vs. Yale (Fri., 2 p.m.)

The biggest star to emerge this year has been Ja Morant. He seemingly creates a new NBA Top Shot moment every single night and has turned the Memphis Grizzlies into must-see TV. Why the NBA has not put him on TV as much as possible is beyond me. That will get corrected next year.

Morant is the kind of dynamo guard who immediately turned the Grizzlies from rebuilding team to contender within three years. It is really impressive how much Morant changed the game. And now everyone is going to be looking for an explosive guard with point guard skills to push them over the top.

In this draft, Jaden Ivey is the guy who will get that unfair comparison. But some of it is earned.

Ivey is indeed a dynamic athlete who can finish with creativity above and below the rim at 6-foot-4. He is an impressive playmaker at times too, able to move between both guard positions. And then he can take over games when he has to.

Ivey averaged 17.4 points per game and shot 46.2-percent from the floor on high volume (12.4 field goal attempts per game). He can put the ball in the basket. That is his best skill. And Purdue feels like it has a good shot at winning the whole thing. Ivey will get plenty of time to show off.

He will have to show in that time that he can fill in some of his weaknesses. Namely, his 3-point shooting. Ivey made only 35.6-percent of his 3-pointers and 73.5-percent of his free throws. That 3-point shooting was a marked improvement from his freshman year. But his shot remains inconsistent.

As does his playmaking. it is not clear whether he is a point guard. And Ivey, despite his dynamic athleticism, can be an at-the-rim-or-bust player.

NCAA Tournament First Round: vs. Richmond (Thurs., 3:10 p.m.)

Keegan Murray is the fastest riser among the public draft boards out there. He was not completely off the radar at the beginning of the season, but he was not considered one of the top guys in the draft in total.

That has completely changed now that we are in March.

Murray played his way up here and a fantastic Big Ten Tournament that ended in a Big Ten Championship.

Murray finished the season averaging 23.6 points per game (up from 7.2 last year in his freshman year). He shot 62.0-percent from the floor overall and 40.5-percent from three.

Murray is a forward who plays like a guard. He can move off screens and hit on the move just as well as he can hit from beyond the arc. He can also finish at the rim with athleticism. He may not be great off the dribble to be a primary option, but Murray will fit in anywhere.

During the Big Ten Tournament, he averaged 25.8 points per game and made 53.8-percent of his threes.

That is impressive no matter how you cut it. He put those numbers up in pressure games. That stands out for something.

So too the other parts of his game — and, yes, his measurables. He is 6-foot-8 with a plus wingspan. There is a reason the Orlando Magic have reportedly scouted him already (Magic general manager John Hammond said he missed Markelle Fultz’s return because he was scouting Iowa’s game against Northwestern).

If there is a candidate to surprise his way into the top group on Draft night, keep an eye on Murray.