Orlando Magic Daily 2022 NBA Mock Draft Version 1.0: The top picks are here
Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft Version 1.0
Shaedon Sharpe. 4. player. 149. . G. Oklahoma City Thunder
If you are a bit confused as to who Shaedon Sharpe is, no one would blame you. Sharpe has been kept behind lock and key for the whole year.
He was never declared ineligible for the season, but Kentucky kept Shaedon Sharpe out for the season out of fears the NCAA would declare him ineligible for the season after he enrolled a year early.
If he had played, he might have been considered the best prospect in this draft. At least, that is what the draft experts might tell you. With Sharpe officially declaring he is in this year’s NBA Draft with the intention of staying in, everyone is going to be trying to get some more information on him.
Sharpe has good size for a guard and good athleticism for someone his size. He can be crafty around the rim.
Sharpe also has decent 3-point range. He was taking NBA 3-pointers at the high school level. Which is as much a sign of how much more talent he had than his competition.
That is ultimately the big question for someone like Sharpe. He has not played competitive basketball during a critical year of his life.
The Oklahoma City Thunder certainly need everything. And while they seem like they love the long-armed potential of someone like Chet Holmgren, if he is not on the board they need some guard help with plenty of young bigs they are trying to fit in.
A backcourt of Shaedon Sharper, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey has a lot of size and playmaking chops. The Thunder are still trying to collect stars. That is the Sam Presti way.
Who the Orlando Magic Pick: Keegan Murray
The Orlando Magic are hunting for a star. That might well be guys like Shaedon Sharpe or Jaden Ivey. But those guys offer a lot more risk than the guys at the very top. And the Magic should be looking for contributors too.
I have the feeling they are very high on Iowa forward Keegan Murray. He is older than other players in the Draft, but I do not think that is necessarily a detriment — look at Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane.
He is a great shooter and a great athlete. He gets a bonus for checking all the usual boxes this front office likes.
It is hard not to like Murray, even if his upside to becoming a star is less.