When the NBA Draft comes around, everyone seems to know exactly who the Orlando Magic will target.
During the rebuild phase of their development, the Magic had an unhealthy obsession with size. Draft experts assumed the Magic would take whichever player had the longest wingspan and would strike players with a negative wingspan from their boards.
There is something to this. Orlando's overall philosophy has been to find versatile defenders and playmakers who can play multiple positions on both sides of the floor. What makes the team unique is that Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are a pair of 6-foot-10 ball-handlers. That size is part of their identity on both sides of the floor.
The Magic themselves are at times in on the joke. No one can ignore that you cannot teach physical traits. And grabbing players with long wingspans covers a lot of mistakes.
Whether the Magic will still think that way entering this year's draft, now that they have claimed they are entering a new phase of their build and looking to make moves with a "win-now lens," will be determined when the draft takes place in late June.
A lot will happen between now and then.
Most of the prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft get their official measurements done at the NBA Draft Combine. It gives the public the closest look at these measurables that we can get.
Knowing this is a trait that the Magic look for -- even if it is just a joke -- there are still a few things to take note of. And of course, remember that wingspan does not equal basketball skill. Hopefully, that is something everyone remembers.
The Rangy Forwards
The Orlando Magic have a long history under Jeff Weltman of taking versatile, rangy forwards. It is not just Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner (neither got an official wingspan measured at the Combine). It was the drafting of Jonathan Isaac, Chuma Okeke and Tristan da Silva (6-foot-10.25 wingspan and +2 over his height).
The Magic like a particular type of forward. And while Orlando may not exactly need more of that kind of player, especially if they struggle to shoot, this draft is full of the kind of rangy forwards the Magic typically go for.
It is easy to point out who the typical Magic players are. And the reality is there are some clear-cut "Magic types" on the wingspan list.
Georgetown center Thomas Sorber, a projected first-round pick, measured with the second-longest wingspan at 7-foot-6, matching 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner. The difference is Sorber measured at 6-foot-9.25 with shoes. That is quite the positive wingspan.
Orlando fans are hunting a bit for a center and Sorber is an interesting prospect, averaging 14.5 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game. That wingspan will help make up for his height and could make him the above-the-rim center the Magic are desperate for.
St. Joseph's Rasheer Fleming has also been on many first-round mock drafts. Fleming measured with a 7-foot-5.25 wingspan against his 6-foot-8.25 height without shoes. That positive wingspan usually has the Magic salivating.
Fleming is a real option if the Magic look to boost their forward position. He has the versatile defense Orlando typically looks for and has made some serious strides.
In his junior year last year, he averaged 14.7 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 2.9 "stocks" per game. He shot 39.0 percent from three and 74.3 percent from the foul line, steadily improving in both categories during his three years.
Fleming's success in the league will come down to his shooting ability and how he develops on that front.
He clocked in with a 32.5-inch max vertical leap and 27-inch standing vertical leap, both on the low-end among the Combine participants. Fleming also shot just 20 for 49 (40.8 percent) during the Combine's 3-point shooting drills, performing well in the side drill over the star drill.
The other forward to watch is UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg. He has been a fast riser, and his Combine will help.
Lendeborg measured with a 7-foot-4 wingspan against a 6-foot-8.5 height without shoes. Lendeborg is a little-known prospect with the decreased visibility of the American Athletic Conference after all the conference realignment of the last few seasons.
He averaged 17.7 points per game and a conference-leading 11.4 rebounds per game last year (his second straight year leading the AAC in rebounding). He added 3.5 "stocks" per game for good measure. Lendeborg was a two-time AAC Defensive Player of the Year.
His 3-point shot still could improve. He shot 35.7 percent on 1.7 attempts per game. That will again be his make-or-break skill.
But at the Combine, he made 33 for 53 (62.3 percent) on his 3-point shooting drills. That is a positive sign.
His vertical leap testing is not so positive though. He was near the bottom of the group with a 25.5-inch standing vertical leap and 31.5-inch max vertical leap.
What about the guards?
One of the jokes is the Orlando Magic liked to use their second-round picks, especially to draft the longest-wingspan guards available. That is what drew them to Wes Iwundu (7-foot-1 wingspan, +7.5 wingspan-to-height), Melvin Frazier (7-foot-1.75, +9.25) and Caleb Houstan.
Inevitably, that is an easy place to look. The Magic still have two second-round picks. And while Orlando does not need more rookies, the second-round pick could be an easy place to fill out a two-way spot for next season.
So, before going anywhere else . . . The guard with the top wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine is: Washington State's Cedric Coward.
He came in with a 7-foot-2.25 wingspan and a height without shoes of 6-foot-5.25. That is a +9 wingspan-to-height ratio!
Coward averaged 17.7 points per game after transferring from Eastern Washington (any Tyler Harvey fans still left?). He added 7.0 rebounds per game and plays more like a forward. He shot 40.0 percent from three and is a career 38.8 percent 3-point shooter.
Coward also had the fifth-highest standing vertical leap at 32.5 inches and the ninth-highest max vertical leap at 38.5 inches. He went 31 for 48 in the shooting drills.
It was a very good combine for Coward.
There were not too many other guards who impressed physically. And a few with some concerns.
Texas guard Tre Johnson, a likely top-10 pick, measured at 6-foot-10.25 wingspan and 6-foot-4.75 without shoes. He is a potential trade-up target if the Magic want to draft a point guard.
Similarly, Illinois sharpshooter Kasparas Jakucionis, another popular trade-up option, measured at 6-foot-7.75 wingspan with a 6-foot-4.75 height without shoes. Michigan State guard Jase Richardson measured at 6-foot-6 but was only 6-foot-0.5 without shoes.
Popular draft target Walter Clayton out of Florida measured at a 6-foot-4 wingspan with a 6-foot-2 height without shoes. He weighed in at 199 pounds, nearly the same as 6-foot-8 guard Egor Demin.
Again, wingspan is not the end-all, be-all for any team. They need the skills to match. But the Magic like their size. And so these numbers matter for them and their draft process.