Orlando Magic Daily 2023 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0: A focus on the Orlando Magic’s needs

Orlando Magic Daily 2023 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0

Tier 3: Filling Out

At the end of the day, the most important thing to get out of the Draft is talent.

This is not the part of the offseason to focus solely on a team’s needs. This is the part to add talent. They may start off in a smaller role within your team construct to begin with — and to be sure there must be this runway for them to succeed — but ultimately you want them to be able to grow beyond it.

This is the most difficult challenge for a team like the Orlando Magic with clear postseason intentions. If they are drafting near the top of this draft, they should be thinking about who can fill a role immediately and who can grow into something more.

At a certain point, the draft runs out of clear-cut stars and teams are asking who among players who were likely high-usage players can play a role on a team as they learn and develop.

That point is going to come at around the point the Magic are picking, and they are going to have to find a player who can fit in.

It should be no surprise then that UCF forward Taylor Hendricks seems to fit the bill and would clearly fill a need for the Magic.

Hendricks is a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged 15.1 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game with 1.7 blocks per game. He had shooting splits of 47.8/39.4/78.2. That all bodes well for him.

Hendricks is a bit of a straight-line driver. But he can step out and hit from the perimeter effectively and he is really good in the dunker spot and around the rim. His defense was outstanding for the Knights too.

The Magic have a bit of a logjam at forward. They are obviously set with both starters. But depending on Jonathan Isaac’s situation, they could use another forward to bolster their depth. Especially another rim protector. Hendricks fits that bill.

Obviously, the biggest need for the Orlando Magic is their shooting. We have talked about it ad nauseum. And so to some extent, the simplest solution is sometimes the best one. If the Magic are really determined to come away from Draft night with a shooter, as I think they should, then taking the best shooter in the Draft is not a bad pick.

That is most likely Gradey Dick. As a shooting specialist, there are few players in this Draft who just have the shooting chops and ability that Dick does. He seems like the surest thing to be a guy who spaces the floor above anyone else in this draft class.

Dick is a great shooter and that is what will keep him in the league. But he is also a smart player who is not going to do much more beyond himself. Knowing that is a skill in itself too.

Dick would fit perfectly with the Magic and should certainly be a top priority for the Magic’s first pick if they want to solve their shooting need.

Since we are focused on shooting and shooters. It is probably smart to just move on to the next shooter. Especially since so many of the other highly rated prospects in this draft class have so many questions about them.

Jordan Hawkins is not going to go eighth in this draft, at least not likely. He should be available if the Orlando Magic get the Chicago Bulls’ pick. And he should be a good get. He should be a good get for whatever team drafts him.

Hawkins’ numbers in helping UConn win the national championship are pretty strong. He scored 16.2 points per game with shooting splits of 40.9/38.8/88.7. Those 3-point and free throw numbers are especially promisings considering he took 7.6 3-point attempts per game.

Hawkins could very easily develop into the kind of volume 3-point shooter the Magic are missing and desperately need. they need someone who is a constant threat from deep. And Hawkins is intriguing because UConn used him on the move a lot and he took a lot of the kind of shots NBA teams need their wings to take.

It is hard not to look at Hawkins — at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, he has good size to develop into a solid defender too — and not see a player who easily fits what the Magic need.