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5 2023 NBA Draft prospects to know for the Orlando Magic’s No. 11 pick

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Dec 3, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anthony Black (0) looks to pass in the first half as San Jose State Spartans guard Omari Moore (10) defends at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anthony Black (0) looks to pass in the first half as San Jose State Spartans guard Omari Moore (10) defends at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /
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Keyonte George, Baylor Bears
Keyonte George and Grady Dick are two of the big players the Orlando Magic may focus on when the NBA Draft comes into focus. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

5 NBA Draft prospects to know for the Orlando Magic’s 11th pick

Keyonte George, Baylor

Back in January with conference play getting set to begin, most Orlando Magic fans were buzzing about Keyonte George. All the mock drafts had him as a solid top-10 pick. And the idea of adding a good shooter who could attack off the dribble was promising.

George though probably had the biggest drop from the time conference season started to now. George might fall out of the Lottery at this point.

George averaged 15.3 points per game with shooting splits of 37.6/33.8/79.3 for the season. But in two NCAA Tournament games, he scored just 16 points on 3-for-19 shooting.

That was the big criticism for George was that he struggled to step up in big games and against big opponents. For instance, he scored 20 points in one game against Kansas but then just eight against them at home on just 2-for-11 shooting. He had 24 against Arkansas and their pair of strong defensive guards (although Nick Smith did not play in that game) and 18 against Gonzaga.

So he is very capable of scoring big in games. The consistency was not there and Baylor petered out toward the end of the season.

Some of this may not matter. His shooting numbers are hidden a little bit because the Bears had to ask him to be their lead scorer and creator. He got a lot of shots. That is not the player he will be in the NBA.

So the free throw percentage suggests he will improve significantly as a shooter. And he certainly showed at Baylor that he has NBA range and more.

That is going to be the question for George. How much of George’s issues were his usage and how Baylor played him? And then how will he adjust to a smaller role in the NBA?

Everyone is probably a bit more down on George than they should be. He is still a capable shooter who fills a need for the Magic.