The NBA Draft Lottery brought with it a major surprise in the Atlanta Hawks defying the odds and winning the top pick.
That seemed to be the perfect way to start off the week at the NBA Draft Combine, as every team is trying to sort through this draft class and find some undiscovered diamond in the rough.
This draft as a whole is all about that process. There is no clear-cut number one player and a lot of draft prospects could just as easily end up in the Lottery as they could end up available when the Magic pick at No. 18. Or perhaps even at No. 47.
And that does not get into the bevy of reporting that everyone is trying to trade their pick.
The Magic have not been reported in that group, but after both Anthony Black and Jett Howard struggled to crack the rotation as rookies as Lottery picks last year, it would not be surprising if the Magic are indeed shopping their pick too.
Everything though starts with the prospects. It starts with the Draft and trying to find the best player the team can when their name is called—or to find the player they are determined to go get wherever that might be.
But the NBA Draft Combine is important because it is mostly the first contact between teams and the players directly. This is where the teams begin to start filling in the personal profiles of the players they are looking at and figuring out if they are people they want to bring into the fold.
Jeff Weltman has often talked about bringing in high-character guys. In addition to doing background work that includes talking to coaches and being around players on the road during the season, this is as important part of the process.
The only players who were not at the NBA Draft Combine are players who are still playing their seasons—top prospects Zaccharie Risascher and Nikola Topic along with mid-draft players like Tidjane Salaun. But there was a lot to learn from the NBA Draft Combine.
Knowing what the Magic typically like to Draft and their needs ahead of this draft, it is time to look at five takeaways from the Draft Combine to help prepare for the Draft on June 26-27.