The Orlando Magic put the finishing touches on a horrifically bad season by finishing with the league’s worst record. Their 20-62 record earned them a fifth place finish in the Southeast division and put them in line for the top-overall selection in the NBA Entry Draft. Come lottery day the ping pong balls didn’t bounce Orlando’s way as they lost out on the top pick and now must settle for the second overall selection.
The Magic are in decent shape moving forward as a franchise. The Dwight Howard debacle actually provided the Magic with an under-valued Nikola Vucevic who turned out to be a tremendous player who just needed his opportunity to shine. Along with Vucevic the Magic have a solid core of uber-young players. Andrew Nicholson, Moe Harkless, Tobias Harris and Vucevic are all younger than 23.
With the youth-movement in full swing Hedo Turkoglu definitely doesn’t fit into these plans. Jameer Nelson is in the final year of his contract and it is unlikely that he will be getting an extension out of Orlando. The Magic have plenty of room under the salary cap should they wish to spend it; however, bringing in a high-priced veteran doesn’t seem to fit with the youth first mentality.
Areas of Weakness:
While youth is a blessing, it can also be a curse as experience does count. So long as the brain-trust are committed to rebuilding and rebuilding slowly then the team’s youth is an incredible upside. If the fans and management grow tired of losing then one misstep could set the franchise back another couple of years.
The point-guard position in Orlando has been a concern for quite some while. With Nelson in the final year of his deal the Magic are in sore need of a replacement. A trade has been proposed to the Magic that would see Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler leave Los Angeles while Arron Afflalo would be going the other way. This would satisfy the needs at the point and create an immediate opening at the two-guard. While Trey Burke is the highest ranking point guard available in this draft, it would be a reach for him to go second overall; however, selecting a shooting-guard here would make sense for the Magic. Don't expect this trade to happen before the draft as the Magic will want to ensure themselves of being able to fill the two-guard role prior to trading away their starter.
Draft Projections:
Like many others, the Orlando Magic are keeping their cards close to their chest. Should the Cleveland Cavaliers select Nerlens Noel or Alex Len with the top pick, this probably won’t change the Magic’s draft strategy. Two players who fit the Magic’s needs will still be available and the Magic have the luxury of having their pick. A great fit for the team would be Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, but it might be hard for them to justify a second-overall selection on him.
A more likely scenario would be for the Magic to go ahead and grab Ben McLemore. This 6’4” shooting guard out of Kansas probably has the highest ceiling of any player in the draft. He is a pure shooter who has an aggressive dribble and a 42” vertical jump. Rumours have been swirling that indicate McLemore’s draft stock may be falling due to some lackadaisical workouts and poor conditioning; I don’t believe any of this for one second. What seems more likely is that McLemore has received a strong indication if not a guarantee from a team and with that he doesn’t feel inclined to give teams a free look at his game.