When it comes to the NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic have a type.
Long-armed, rangy defenders who can defend and play multiple positions. Usually, it is easy to figure out who the Magic will draft simply by looking at the list of longest wingspans at the NBA Draft Combine.
It is never that simple, but the Magic, it seems, have always valued physical attributes over skill attributes. The team has sought good physical and cultural fits in the draft rather than players who slot into needs for the immediate roster.
That is certainly something that needs to change.
Now that president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has made it clear the team will make moves with a "win-now lens." The team has seemingly entered a new phase of its rebuild. It would seem the Magic will use their draft picks to bring in players that can help the team immediately -- if they use those picks at all.
At this point, it requires the Magic to cross out several prospects who meet their usual draft type but cannot give the team the shooting it so desperately needs, and include players who the team might otherwise pass on because they can shoot.
Shooting is certainly the swing skill for the Magic after they finished last in 3-point field goal percentage. Orlando needs as much shooting as it can get.
To be fair, Orlando tried drafting shooting in the last two seasons.
The Magic took Jett Howard -- a 36.8 percent shooter at Michigan -- in 2023 and took Tristan da Silva -- a career 38.6 percent 3-point shooter in four seasons at Colorado -- in 2024. Howard has struggled to crack the rotation and da Silva shot 33.5 percent from three in his rookie season.
It still takes a bit more. But it is better to build from a strong base is the way to go for the Magic.
It is why the Magic should pass on a guard like Egor Demin and favor a guard like Jase Richardson.
Demin is the kind of player who would fit the Magic's typical desires. He measured at 6-foot-8.25 without shoes at the NBA Draft Combine (with a 6-foot-10.25 wingspan). He is a jumbo-sized point guard with great passing instincts that led him to average 5.5 assists per game at BYU.
But Demin is a noted non-shooter. He made only 27.3 percent of his 3-pointers last year with the Cougars. He made only 69.5 percent of his free throws. That does not bode well for his prospects as a shooter at the next level.
Even though Demin fits the Magic's typical size profile, especially for their ball-handlers, the lack of shooting should throw him off their list. It is hard to imagine him adding to the team.
That is not the case for someone like Jase Richardson.
The Michigan State guard measured at 6-foot-0.5 at the NBA Draft Combine. That would normally take him off the list for the Magic. But at least he had a 6-foot-6 wingspan.
But Richardson has the skill set the team needs with his scoring and ability to attack off the dribble. He averaged 12.1 points per game and shot 41.2 percent from three in his lone year at Michigan State. That was with him playing more on the ball, with Michigan State's guards dealing with injuries.
Outside of Richardson's size, he would be the perfect fit for the Magic. That is something they have to get over at some point.
There are plenty of other players who fit the Magic's eye that do not have the shooting chops they want.
Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears has the scoring and attacking off the dribble the Magic likely need, but he shot only 28.4 percent on 3.9 3-point attempts per game last year. His 85.1 percent free-throw shooting is a small solace.
South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles has the versatility the Magic typically seek. But he shot only 26.5 percent on threes and rarely ventured beyond the 3-point line with just 1.1 attempts per game last year. It is hard to imagine him contributing immediately.
Prospects like Noa Essengue of France or even Nolan Traore likely should be stricken from the board for their poor shooting.
Essengue averaged 12.4 points per game for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, but shot only 29.4 percent from three. Traore has the size and speed the Magic like from their guards, but he shot only 30.4 percent from three on his way to averaging 11.6 points per game for Saint Quentin in France. A late-season surge gives him some hope. But the Magic need immediate production.
Even a widely regarded shooting prospect like UConn's Liam McNeely should be viewed with some suspicion. He shot only 31.7 percent from three. But an ankle injury slowed him down for much of the season. He shot 86.6 percent from the foul line. He can shoot.
But that must be the emphasis for the Magic at the Draft. It must be the emphasis with everything they do this offseason.
It cannot be business as usual for the players this team tends to focus on.