2024 Orlando Magic Daily Big Board Version 1.0: There's a Draft still?!

Tier 2: Just beyond reach

The UConn Huskies were the story of the NCAA Tournament as they repeated as national champions and did so in dominant fashion. They had two reasons for that and both of those reasons are likely to be among the top-10 picks in this year's NBA Draft.

Stephone Castle really stood out. He was a monster defensively, shutting out top wing players like Boo Buie (Northwestern) and Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois). He uses his size really well and will make his mark imediately on defense.

Castle struggled as a shooter last year -- 26.7 percent from deep but 75.5 percent from the line. He is not a true point guard. And whether he is successful in the NBA likely depends on whether he shoots at a solid level.

When the NBA put together its Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend, they opted to keep all the G-League prospects on the same team. That gave the G-League players a lot of motivation to play well even in an exhibition game.

Should we put a lot into that game? Absolutely not. But it was still hard not to come away impressed with Matas Buzelis. At 6-foot-11, he showed good mobility and shot-making, hitting a tough jumper to clinch the first-round game for the G-League team in the game.

Buzelis was excellent for the G-League Ignite in its final year of existence. He averaged 16.4 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. He moved sort of like a less athletic Franz Wagner. Fluidity and scoring ability at that size is just always valuable.

No player probably looked more impressive in UConn's NCAA Tournament run than Donovan Clingan. So much so that he is getting at least some buzz for the top pick. I am not there at all.

Clingan is very good at the things he is good at. He is an excellent inside presence -- 7.4 rebounds per game and 2.5 blocks per game. He defends and uses his verticality well. He will be active around the basket.

But Clingan is not much of an offensive threat beyond simple shots around the basket. And while he is comfortable with the ball, Clingan is just a center. Traditional centers still have their place in the league. But there are still clear limitations to what teams can do with that.

For a good chunk of the season, Reed Sheppard was considered the best college prospect in this Draft. And with his shooting and scoring for Kentucky, who would blame them?

Sheppard averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 52.1 percent from three (and 83.1 percent from the foul line). He had games of 32 and 27 points in SEC play and had two games where he hit seven 3-pointers with efficiency too.

For an Orlando Magic team that needs shooting, Sheppard is someone to have on the list. Even though he is on the small side (certainly smaller than the Magic like) and not really a point guard. He is a shooter in every sense of the word.

When the G-League Ignite's season began, Ron Holland was considered the top prospect in a very good class for the fledgling development program (which the NBA is shutting down after this season with NIL deals in college no longer making it necessary as an alternative).

Holland had a solid year, averaging 22.0 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game. He had two 30-point games and five games of 25 points or more. Holland can score.

But he shot only 24.0 percent from three and the team he played on struggled from a general lack of organization -- it was a bunch of 18 year olds trying to play in a professional league and they looked like it.

Holland can score in the open floor but his shooting will be the big concern as he continues to develop.

Rob Dillingham put up big numbers for Kentucky, averaging 15.9 points per game and 3.4 assists per game in SEC play. He shot 43.6 percent from three and 78.9 percent from the foul line. Dillingham is one of the best on-ball prospects from the college crop of players.

Dillingham is as good as any prospect in this class as a creator. And whether someone drafts him will depend on their belief that he can turn into a top option on a team or a quality playmaker. There are questions about both though. And he may stand out in this class because of a dearth of options overall.