5 players for the Orlando Magic to watch at the NBA Draft Combine

The NBA Draft is on the horizon now as the next phase of draft preparation gets set to begin.

The league’s playoffs are nearing the end and all but eight (for now, but soon to be four) teams are focused on their offseason. The NBA Draft is the first step to that as teams can now schedule workouts with draft prospects and they will soon have the NBA Draft Combine to get their first interactions with the top prospects available.

The NBA Draft Combine begins this weekend, placing all the NBA’s big executives in Chicago. The NBA Draft Lottery will take place Tuesday, finally setting the draft order. And all eyes will then be on the NBA Draft.

This is obviously the day the Magic are waiting on just so they can know where they will pick and what players might be available to them. Either way, Orlando will have to look at all of the top prospects.

The NBA Draft is on the horizon as the Orlando Magic prepare for the next phase and turn their eyes to the NBA Draft Combine.

The Draft Combine is an important step in the process. And now the list of players set to participate is set.

The NBA announced the list of 70-plus prospects who will participate in the NBA Draft Combine:

Most of the top prospects will be there. But they are likely only to get their official measurements and go through the early interview process.

Who the Magic choose to interview — especially beyond the top prospects whom they will probably negotiate either an individual workout or some type of interview later on — will give a big clue to what the Magic intend to do with the No. 32 and 35 picks the team also holds in the second round.

Just because there are perhaps an obvious top six or seven players for the Magic to fill in the first round with their top pick, there is still a lot to do as the Magic try to build their files on future players and prepare for the rest of the draft.

The next week in Chicago is a big one for Orlando then. And there is going to be a lot to evaluate and do while the prospects are all in Chicago.

The Magic obviously have their focus on the top prospects — Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Shaedon Sharpe, Keegan Murray, Jaden Ivey and Bennedict Mathurin, to name a few. But there are plenty of other prospects to keep an eye on for the Magic as they enter the next and important interview and workout stage of the draft process.

Here are five players to keep an eye on next week at the NBA Draft Combine.

5 players to watch at the NBA Draft Combine

Shaedon Sharpe, Kentucky

So we are going to start this list by breaking the rule. The one top prospect everyone is going to be clamoring to get a look at is Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe.

Sharpe sat out the entire season at Kentucky as the school chose to hold him out instead of risking him being declared ineligible and to avoid having to answer the “will-he, won’t-he” questions of him playing. They made a definitive statement early that he would not play.

Sharpe has no issues there. He enrolled early at Kentucky after graduating high school early in Canada. The NCAA just had not fully cleared him within their rules.

By all accounts, Sharpe could have been the No. 1 pick in this draft. He was the No. 3 prospect after reclassifying into the Class of 2021, according to 247Sports.com.

The only questions about Sharpe are really arising because he has not played competitive basketball for the last year.

In high school, there was not much Sharpe could not do. He was an explosive leaper off two feet around hte basket, especially for a guard. He was comfortable pulling up from NBA-range 3-pointers. He could use his athleticism and size — listed at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds — to bully anywhere he wants.

There is a lot to like with Sharpe, even with notable concerns about his ability to dribble in traffic and some concerns about his still-improving jump shot.

The question then is just what kind of player is Sharpe? How do you evaluate a player who lost a year of game tape?

That is going to be the reason why he might be the most-requested player at the NBA Draft Combine. The Magic have surely put him on their list of players to get an interview with and begin the process of understanding who he is as a person as much as a player.

Sharpe, like most of the top prospects, will probably be in Chicago just to get his official measurements. He is not likely to participate in any drills or games.

His agency is set to hold a separate pro day where he will likely take part in some drills. Scouts will be flocking to this to see how he looks on the court in person.

That might be the only time anyone sees him on the court, save for select individual workouts. But every little piece of information counts.

5 players to watch at the NBA Draft Combine

Nikola Jovic, Mega (Serbia)

This is not a particularly strong crop of international prospects entering the NBA Draft. There are a few players who will catch the eye and could end up in the first round. And there are always some players who slip through the cracks.

There are definitely a few international prospects to keep an eye on. And somewhat surprisingly all the major international prospects are set to make an appearance at the NBA Draft Combine.

The biggest name of these guys is Serbia’s Nikola Jovic.

And, yes, that is not a typo.

Jovic averaged 11.8 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game in 24.8 minutes per game for Mega in 2021 in four games. He shot 40.0-percent from beyond the arc on 3.5 attempts per game from deep.

For Mega’s U19 team, where he spent the majority of his 2021 season, he averaged 19.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game even while shooting 28.6-percent from beyond the arc.

Last year for Mega, Jovic averaged 11.7 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game in 27.8 minutes per game in 25 games played. He shot 35.6-percent from beyond the arc.

Like the similarly named Serbian Nikola Jokic, Nikola Jovic is a big man who does it all.

He is a super-skilled 6-foot-10 forward who works the perimeter, can attack off the dribble and finish in the post.

Jovic has a lot of defensive questions to answer. And so the agility drills he will likely perform at the Combine will matter. There are going to be questions about how much he wants to defend and complete his game.

Jovic right now is probably the top international prospect. But he is not expected to go until later in the first round. This is a player some teams could be looking to trade up and get because he has the talent to be a dynamic player in the NBA.

It is going to take a lot of research to figure that out.

He is not the only international player who will try to make a name for themselves at the NBA Draft Combine.

Other names to watch include New Zealand Breakers forward Ousmane Dieng and guard Hugo Besson and Gran Canaria forward Khalifa Diop and French center Ismael Kamagate. These are all international players who will have a lot to prove and show in whatever they do at the Combine this week.

All could be first-round picks at the end of the day.

5 players to watch at the NBA Draft Combine

Patrick Baldwin Jr., Milwaukee

There was no bigger disappointment in this upcoming NBA Draft class than Patrick Baldwin Jr.

He entered the season a sure Lottery pick and a potential top-five pick candidate. There are a lot of people who thought the 6-foot-9 forward was going to be a scoring dynamo. and playing at a smaller school in Milwaukee (for his father, no less) would seemingly put him on full display.

That also seemingly displayed his flaws.

Baldwin did not live up to the billing that had him as one of the best players in his recruiting class.

Baldwin averaged 12.1 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. He shot 34.4-percent from the floor and 26.6-percent from beyond the arc.

It was just a bad season that ended with Milwaukee going 10-22, including 8-14 in the Horizon League, and ended up getting Baldwin Sr. fired. Baldwin Jr. is now in the transfer portal if he decides to return to college.

Baldwin Jr. is still expected to be in the first round. But even that is not assured.

If there is a guy who could quietly start climbing boards in draft workouts and the Combine, it should be Baldwin Jr. That talent does not disappear. It is hard to be this completely wrong on a guy.

Baldwin Jr. has a lot to overcome and prove. He has to show the game tape from his time at Milwaukee is not who he is. And that is a lot to overcome.

I would expect Baldwin Jr. not only to participate in drills at the Combine but also to play in the 5-on-5 games — at least the first one. That would give Baldwin a chance to show he has grown and improved and fits into the NBA culture. That should at least get him some workouts.

And even then, Baldwin Jr. should be seeking out players in his draft range and trying to show them up in workouts. That is the only way he is going to climb the rankings and start creating some positive momentum.

If not, Baldwin Jr. should probably head back to college and find a better situation to build up tape again. He needs to get himself in front of as many people as he can and show he is ready to compete and rebuild his reputation and draft stock.

5 players to watch at the NBA Draft Combine

Christian Koloko, Arizona

The Orlando Magic have a few needs they have to consider as they get deeper into the Draft.

They need a star player still. That is what the team’s top pick is for. A lot of the directions the team will head will be determined by that pick.

But the matter of the Magic’s two second-round picks — or the potential to trade into the first round — cannot be just about adding more talent. That should remain a key goal with any pick the team makes.

Later in the draft, the team’s needs certainly get a bigger consideration than simply taking the top player on the board. And the Magic still have a lot of roster needs.

The Magic could use another wing player to bolster the depth behind some often-injured players. Orlando could also use a third center in case the team goes back to a two-big alignment or to cover for any injuries at center. The Magic are going to have to find a center somewhere to fill in those stray minutes.

One option expected to go in the late first and second round is center Christian Koloko.

Bennedict Mathurin got a lot of the attention at Arizona, and rightfully so. But Koloko was a big part of the team’s defensive game plan.

Koloko averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game last year. He was Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year and its Most Improved Player of the Year.

That is the kind of improvement and leap teams like to see. They want to see players — especially players who stay in school a bit longer — improve.

Koloko is a pretty rudimentary offensive player. His main role would be as a defensive stopper and rim protector. Bigs who can defend a little on the perimeter and block shots are very valuable. That is a baseline of what Koloko would provide.

Getting a good measure of Koloko’s physical attributes and possibly even a look at how he plays in a NBA setting will be big for him starting to climb draft boards again.

5 players to watch at the NBA Draft Combine

Pete Nance, Northwestern

Before the NBA Draft Combine begins Monday, several prospects will get an extra shot and an extra look before the actual Combine begins. The NBA G-League Elite Camp is an invitation to 44 prospects who are projected in the second round or just outside of the Draft to get a look for potential G-Leauge spots.

Some of the top players will get invites to the NBA Draft Combine.

To say the least, this is an extremely competitive period and a big chance for any of these players to make a name for themselves among NBA circles.

Each of these players will not only be going through drills but also playing in the five-on-five scrimmages. Among these players will probably be the star of the NBA Draft Combine. These are the guys that are likely to make the biggest waves and improve their draft stock the most.

I will be a homer and give some love to a prospect from my alma mater. But he actually does stand a good chance to make a roster, if he ends up staying in the draft.

Pete Nance had a solid run at Northwestern, improving and growing each season in Evanston, Ill.

If his name seems recognizable, it should be. He is Larry Nance Jr.’s brother, so he comes from an NBA family.

Nance finished his senior year averaging 14.6 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. He shot 49.7-percent from the floor and 45.2-percent from beyond the arc.

Like with Christian Koloko, Pete Nance got better each season. His scoring, rebounding and shooting all improved each season. So even for a senior, he has shown tremendous growth.

The new addition to his game this year was a willingness to take 3-pointers — he went from 2.8 attempts per game to 3.1 attempts per game. Nance was a lot more aggressive offensively, showing the ability to hit low-post turnarounds.

But that is not what he would do in the NBA. He would be a good energy defender off the bench if he makes an NBA roster. And that is something that he could fill and do well. Even in small doses.

There are plenty of others like him who will emerge over the course of the weekend in the G-League camp. And from there, someone is likely to stand out in the Combine.