Orlando Magic NBA Draft: Grades for every draft pick
Grading every Orlando Magic 2023 Draft pick
Grading the Magic on the entire draft
ORLANDO MAGIC. C+. . 34-48. 13th East
The final move the Orlando Magic made on draft night was to trade out of the No. 36 pick in exchange for a 2030 second-round pick and cash from the Milwaukee Bucks.
That was understandable. The Magic are already adding two rookies to a full roster, so not wanting a third makes sense.
Given the value other teams got for trading down at the top of the second round, though, you would have liked to see the Magic get a couple of picks here. Still, if it is the Bucks’ own pick, they could be quite bad by 2030, so it is a decent upside play.
The Magic came into the draft needing an on-ball playmaker who could shoot. They did not add that player unless Anthony Black makes a huge leap as a shooter. But that player also was not really available to them.
Taking a chance on Black given everything else he brings to a team makes sense.
Their other need was for off-ball shooters, and that is where the Magic failed spectacularly.
Taking Anthony Black meant they passed on Taylor Hendricks, but they doubled down at pick 11 taking Jett Howard over players like Gradey Dick or even Jordan Hawkins.
Next. Orlando Magic need to let Cole Anthony keep proving himself. dark
They reached past proven shooters with other NBA skills to take a merely good shooter with huge NBA issues. Take Dick at 11, and this grade is probably an A-. That is how baffling and ultimately misguided their selection is.