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

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

Cason Wallace, Kentucky

Kentucky has a trend with its guards. So much so that you almost want to give their guards the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the draft.

Jamal Murray, Devin Booker and Tyrese Maxey were all drafted well below where their NBA careers suggest they should have been. People even might have said it at the time. But the Wildcats usually had so much one-and-done talent and so many mouths to feed all their stats were depressed.

At the very least, their success was proof that John Calipari knows how to prepare his players for the NBA (Daniel Orton, excusing). So you have to give a hard look at Kentucky guards when they come around.

Cason Wallace does not have the offensive profile of the guards previously mentioned and that will be the big concern. But he certainly already seems like he will be a defensive monster.

Wallace averaged 11.7 points per game on shooting splits of 44.6/34.6/75.7. There is a lot to break down there but there is at least some hope he can develop into a shooter.

Maxey, for reference, averaged 14.0 points per game on shooting splits of 42.7/29.2/83.3. You see in Maxey’s numbers why free throw shooting becomes a better indicator of shooting development — we probably did not think much of Maxey in his draft process because of that 3-point shooting number.

Wallace does well to get to the basket and live in the paint. He averaged 4.3 assists per game, a solid but not spectacular number overall. But there is always room to grow. And, as mentioned before, Kentucky has a long history of guards who outplay their draft position.

The biggest concern with Wallace is his overall athleticism. He does not have great leaping ability and that could make it more difficult for him to finish at the rim. And without a consistent jumper, that could be a problem until the shooting comes around.