NBA Draft Scenarios – Orlando Magic
By Ed Isaacson
The Magic finally have their new General Manager, Rob Hennigan, in place, but still need to settle on a coach. Also, Hennigan will need to tackle the Dwight Howard saga sooner rather than later. With point guard Jameer Nelson also no guarantee to come back, the Magic face a critical juncture in their immediate future. With the 19th pick in the 1st round, the Magic certainly aren’t going to find a Howard-level talent, but they can start to put a plan in place to possibly live without him. Let’s look at some of the possible draft scenarios facing Orlando:
2011-2012 Record – 37-29 (3rd in Southeast Division, Eastern Conference)
Head Coach – ????
2-year Draft History
2011 – Justin Harper (2nd Round – 32nd – Traded from Cleveland for Orlando’s 2013 and 2014 2nd Round picks), DeAndre Liggins (2nd Round – 53rd)
2010 – Daniel Orton (1st Round – 29th), Stanley Robinson (2nd Round – 59th)
Returning Players– Dwight Howard (C), Hedo Turkoglu (SF), Jameer Nelson (PG – Player Option), JJ Redick (SG), Glen Davis (PF), Jason Richardson (SG), Chris Duhon (PG), Quentin Richardson (SG), Ryan Anderson (SF – Qualifying Offer), Earl Clark (PF – Player Option), Von Wafer (SG), Ish Smith (PG – Qualifying Offer), Justin Harper (PF), DeAndre Liggins (SG – Qualifying Offer)
Team Needs– Possible replacements for Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, Wings that can attack the basket, Add depth/quality to frontcourt
Position Needs –PG, SF, PF, C
Picks – #19 (1st Round, Pick 19)
#49 (2nd Round, Pick 19)
NBA Draft Blog Analysis
The Magic finally have their new General Manager, Rob Hennigan, in place, but still need to settle on a coach. Also, Hennigan will need to tackle the Dwight Howard saga sooner rather than later. With point guard Jameer Nelson also no guarantee to come back, the Magic face a critical juncture in their immediate future. With the 19th pick in the 1st round, the Magic certainly aren’t going to find a Howard-level talent, but they can start to put a plan in place to possibly live without him.
Obviously, not knowing Howard’s future with the team could put the Magic in position to look for a big man at #18, but the quality isn’t that high. Arnett Moultrie may be available and he can provide some help with his athleticism on the boards, but he isn’t highly skilled and I don’t project him getting much better. Fab Melo is a slightly better option, though he is still raw and will need a few years to be a real contributor. Based on the big men whose value falls here, I pass if I am the Magic.
Another big area of need is wing players who can attack the basket. While the Magic were the tops in the league in three-pointers made and attempted (as well as 3rd in %), they were in the bottom 10 in total field goal categories. A player such as Moe Harkless would be an intriguing pick, though he still needs to develop many parts of his game. He is aggressive though and can be a major asset around the basket and on offensive rebounds. Royce White would be a solid option with his ability to attack the basket as well as facilitate for others from the perimeter or high post, but he needs to make many adjustments to defend at the NBA level. Quincy Miller is similar to Harkless in the lack of development in their games, but he is also an athletic wing who has shown that he can get to the rim, though he prefers to stay on the perimeter. Not really a great group of options, but Harkless could be worth a serious look based on his potential.
At #49, the Magic will have the chance to add another player who can provide some quality to a very lackluster bench. They can look to add some toughness and scoring around the basket with Mike Scott or JaMychal Green. Another option would be too look for another wing scorer such as Kevin Murphy, Kim English, or William Buford. All would be serious upgrades over the likes of DeAndre Liggins or Von Wafer.
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