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Orlando Magic 2023 NBA Draft: 5 players to watch in the NCAA Tournament’s Regional rounds

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Anthony Black has been a strong defender and point guard for Arkansas' run to the Sweet Sixteen. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony Black has been a strong defender and point guard for Arkansas' run to the Sweet Sixteen. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jordan Hawkins, UConn Huskies
UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is one of the best NBA prospect shooters remaining in this year’s draft. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

5 players to watch in the NCAA Tournament regional rounds

Jordan Hawkins, UConn

First Round: 13 points, 3/11 FGs, 3/7 3FGs vs. Iona
Second Round: 12 points, 4/6 FGs, 4/5 3FGs vs. Saint Mary’s

Regional Semifinals: Thursday vs. Arkansas (7:30 p.m., CBS)

We all know what the Orlando Magic need more than anything else. They need shooting.

And a lot of Magic fans have looked toward this draft class to try to find some shooters — and there definitely are some in Kansas Jayhawks forward Gradey Dick and Michigan forward Jett Howard among plenty of others.

UConn Huskies guard Jordan Hawkins is not considered among the top prospects in this draft. He is ranked No. 20 on ESPN’s big board. But he is also quietly one of the better shooters. And so far in this NCAA Tournament, his shooting has been a big part of UConn’s run.

Hawkins averaged 15.7 points per game this year, a big jump with more playing time in his sophomore season. He shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc on 7.5 3-point attempts per game. That and the fact he made 88.4 percent from the foul line (his second straight season making more than 80 percent from the foul line) is a good indicator of his shooting potential.

Hawkins does all the things NBA teams want shooters to be able to do. He can come around screens just as easily as he can shoot the stand-still threes. That will make him valuable even if the rest of his offensive skills are more unrefined.

At 6-foot-5, he has decent length to guard other shooting guards and he should be able to translate into a solid 3-and-D option.

How he plays Thursday against Arkansas is going to go a long way to setting his draft stock. If he can break free from the Razorbacks’ trio of defensive-minded guards, he could easily play himself into the Lottery. especially if the Huskies do end up making the kind of NCAA tournament run so many believe they can.