4. Bam Adebayo
The 2017 NBA Draft is getting a lot of mention here because three of the six All-Stars coming out of that draft class were selected after the Magic made their pick. One could argue that Orlando passed on Donovan Mitchell because Jonathan Isaac’s size and defensive potential were just so enticing, and that is a fair point.
That argument makes it even more painful that the Magic also passed on Bam Adebayo in the very same draft, however. Adebayo went fourteenth to the Miami Heat and has had a very successful career since then.
The big man has already made three All-Star teams since 2020 as well as four consecutive All-Defensive second teams, and is always a candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Adebayo is a versatile two-way player who averaged a double-double or close to it for the past five seasons. That is pretty much exactly what the Magic hoped Isaac would be for them.
Can you imagine this current Magic team with Bam Adebayo as its starting center? That would be a scary sight on both ends of the floor.
That year, the Magic also passed on Jarrett Allen, who went twenty-second and is another defensive-minded big and the third All-Star picked after Isaac.