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 4: Tough Sells
479. . . Previous: . Cam Whitmore. 9. player
I will admit that I am very uneasy with Cam Whitmore’s game.
On one hand, he checks a lot of boxes. He averaged 12.5 points per game on just 9.8 field goal attempts per game. He was not a great shooter — 47.8 percent overall and 34.3 percent from deep — but some of that was because he had to be on the ball a lot.
On the other hand, he was not a volume shooter in college and that seems to be his biggest attraction — his driving and finishing ability. He also was a poor free throw shooter at 70.3 percent from the line. That does not bode well for his shooting ability.
Whitmore to me feels like the guy who is high on everyone’s board as a potential star because he starred in college who does not live up to the billing and struggles to find his place in the league. I honestly cannot talk myself into him yet.
His highlight tape certainly does suggest he can get there. But the body of work is not quite there yet.
player. 450. . . Previous: . Jarace Walker. 10
Jarace Walker is one of the smartest players in this NBA Draft class. He makes the right play seemingly at every turn, whether it is sticking his nose in defensively or digging out a rebound on either end or setting a screen. He is the kind of hard worker every team needs to be successful.
Where does that put him in the Draft? A lot of mock drafts have him as a clear-cut top-10 pick and one of the best forwards in this draft. But I struggle to see his fit with the Orlando Magic.
Even though he has a knack for making the right play and being a good cog in the wheel that makes others better, his lack of shooting just makes him a tough sell for me. Orlando needs shooting very badly. Walker just does not have that as part of his game and there are not signs that is going to be part of his game.
11. player. 524. . . Previous: . Anthony Black
On one hand, Anthony Black is a specialist who should enter the league with an already-defined skill. One that surely every team could use. He was an elite defender at the college level. The kind of energy and effort he puts in on that end usually translates to the NBA.
On the other hand, Black is a guard who struggles at the one thing that is almost essential in today’s NBA — and certainly essential for an Orlando Magic guard room that does not have a lot of shooting.
The sore thumb in Black’s profile is his 30.1 percent 3-point shooting and 70.5 percent free throw shooter. While he is effective at getting to the rim and drawing contact, averaging more than five free throw attempts per game, he is not going to space the floor much.
That makes him a tough sell for a shooting-starved team even though he certainly would be able to fill a role for this team.