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Orlando Magic Daily 2022 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0: Time to consider needs

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jabari Smith could be the next coming of Rashard Lewis and the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Jabari Smith could be the next coming of Rashard Lewis and the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
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Keegan Murray, Iowa Hawkeyes
Keegan Murray led Iowa to a Big Ten Tournament title before the team flamed out in the NCAA Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

The big day is finally here.

The NBA scouts have convened in Chicago to get an early look at some prospects participating in the G-League Elite Camp. The NBA Draft Combine kicks off this week.

But the big event remains the NBA Draft Lottery. A lot of the draft storylines and draft intrigue gets set up when the order of the first 14 picks actually gets set.

For the Orlando Magic, they are eager just to see where this important piece to their puzzle will fall.

The long-awaited NBA Draft Lottery is here. So we are taking a look at the Orlando Magic’s needs as we compile our latest Big Board.

The Magic like the young group they have and how they are building. But they still need to add to the team. More specifically, the Magic need some top-end talent to help build the team around and help this team grow.

One way or another, Orlando will have a clearer idea of what the team can accomplish and how best to improve the team based on where it lands in the NBA Draft Lottery. And, of course, the play the Magic ultimately takes in the draft in a month.

There is a lot riding on the Lottery, as there is always for the teams with the best odds to win the Lottery. Those teams usually need luck the most.

Orlando could certainly use some. The team has not won a pick determined y the Lottery since 2013 when they drafted Victor Oladipo second and have not improved their lottery position since taking Chris Webber with the first pick in 1993.

This is also the time when teams start to refine their boards. They start to really hone in on the players they actually want to take. And with the draft order set, they can start to figure out the players they want to chase and where they might have to go to get them.

It is draft season again!

So with the Lottery set to take place tonight, it is time to reset our Big Board. In our last Big Board, we evaluated the prospects at the end of the college basketball season.

There have not been any games played since. But there has been time to ponder what the Orlando Magic need from their draft picks. So that is what we will do here.

Talent is still king. And the Magic’s top needs are still to find the most talented player possible — any team drafting near the top of the draft should probably put some focus on talent ahead of anything else. But a way to separate players of similar talent is to look at what actually fits the Magic’s team needs.

Orlando has a roster full of promising young players. And certainly part of the work this coming offseason is to figure out how to make those players fit into a coherent team they can build and grow with.

With that in mind, it is time to re-rank the prospects, taking a special look at the players who fit the Magic’s needs.