Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

2023 Orlando Magic Daily Mock Draft 2.0: The order is set, the lines are drawn

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Feb 20, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick (4) shoots during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Gradey Dick (4) shoots during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 9
Next
Amen Thompson, Overtime Elite
Dec 9, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; City Reapers guard Amen Thompson (1) shown during the game against the Cold Hearts at Overtime Elite. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Orlando Magic Daily 2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0

Prelude to the Magic

Houston Rockets. Amen Thompson. 4. player. 169. . G

The Thompson twins are the two biggest risks in this draft.

Their talent is clearly immense. Both are great athletes and big for their position. They both project as solid defender. But their two years in the new Overtime Elite league leave a lot of questions because it is so unproven and the level of competition is seemingly subpar.

Still, there is no denying talent. And Amen Thompson is certainly extremely talented.

He has point guard skills and should be able to weave his way through the paint with speed — he is often compared to Derrick Rose — and find players on the perimeter. That would make him a great pair with Jalen Green especially at his size and with the Houston Rockets’ point guard needs.

While the Rockets seem a bit wayward with their development — and the seemingly impending acquisition of James Harden may change what the Rockets focus on for this draft — this is a situation where Amen Thompson would get the chance to make mistakes and play with few restrictions.

Maybe that was a bad thing with some older players like Kevin Porter who were shoehorned into playing point guard. But young players need some freedom to play.

G/F. Detroit Pistons. Cam Whitmore. 5. player. 64.

The Detroit Pistons’ plan to try and leap into the postseason last year got derailed. Cade Cunningham’s early season injury that caused him to miss most of the year dropped the Pistons like a rock. And they found out they were still pretty far off.

Detroit has collected plenty of young centers to see what they have. They have their point guard in Cade Cunningham and a secondary ball-handler in Jaden Ivey to use as building blocks. Cam Whitmore seems like the perfect fit for this group.

At Villanova, he showed signs he could be a great catch-and-shoot and spot-up 3-point shooter. His upside is what sinches him with a team like the Pistons, who just needs scorers and to keep the ball moving.

There are plenty of questions about Whitmore and how much of what he did at Villanova will translate — I personally have concerns about his shooting translating. But in the right atmosphere with two ball-handlers to help set him up could put him in a good spot to succeed.