Orlando Magic: Draft Lottery Positioning Changes The Plan?

Now that the 2015 NBA Draft Lottery has come and gone, the Orlando Magic have a somewhat clearer idea of how exactly to approach the upcoming NBA draft to get the player that best suits their organization.

Thankfully for the Magic, they did not fall any lower in the lottery than their predicted landing spot of fifth, meaning not too much has changed on their outlook heading into the draft. However, the teams around them and where they’ll be picking may yet undermine the plans of this team.

Firstly though, all went as expected on the night for the Magic, and that in itself is a plus. Nothing is ever guaranteed in the lottery, and there was always the chance the team could have slipped a few spots.

As it was, the Los Angeles Lakers jumped to No. 2 while the New York Knicks, who we’ll return to shortly, fell to fourth spot. In various mock drafts done to this point, forward Justise Winslow has appeared to be available for Orlando to draft.

This is great, as he is exactly the type of player this team needs, especially with the future of Tobias Harris up in the air. A defensive minded, athletic wing player is a guy who, if he reaches his full potential, is extremely valuable in the league. That’s what Winslow looks like he could turn out to be, and his defensive abilities are nearly at an NBA-ready standard.

So if Winslow was the guy before the lottery order came out, and nothing has changed, then why are we here talking about it? A good question, but there’s just one quirk to the draft order that has disturbed me a little: those New York Knicks. They were expected to be picking second, they had the second best odds in the draft.

Unfortunately for them they fell two spots, and both fans and team management alike have expressed how they were unhappy at seeing the team slide two positions on the board.

Now the Knicks have always been unpredictable, and usually in ways that have harmed their long-term future. This is one of the few draft picks in recent memory they did not trade away in order to become a better team quicker. But there is now every chance that the player they had their heart set on is gone by the time they’re up. Now, I’m not here to talk about how important it is for New York to nail this pick and get their brown bag wearing fans back onside. But it is hugely important.

This is why I’m worried. Winslow is one of the safer top picks on the board, at least in my opinion. His energy and motor readily translate to the professional game, as does the defense. That heart he exhibits, the emotional leadership, New Yorkers love that hard-nosed style of play. He certainly does not have the star potential of three or four players available, at least on the surface, but there’s less risk involved as well.

But that’s not even the most worrying aspect of all of this. Right now the Knicks’ roster is a mess mostly, and a couple of teams could possibly engage the Knicks in talks for the pick itself. Depending on the needs of those teams, Winslow could be their guy. Another option here is that the Knicks could draft somebody like Winslow, and then ship him off right away to another team, leaving the Magic scrambling for secondary options.

You might think it strange that I’m this concerned both by the Knicks being one spot above the Magic, and the obsession with taking Winslow. After all, there will be plenty of other players left to choose from, and just because I see the former Duke player as the perfect player, it doesn’t mean they’re going to take him. Besides, you could also argue that with two guards worthy of going in the top seven (Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell) and New York having needs there, they may go in that direction too.

All valid points, there’s no need to sweat it out so much over one guy. But it’s the general unpredictability of the Knicks that throws me a little, they really could do anything with that pick. I’ve gotten some comfort however, in the growing reports that Stanley Johnson could be the steal of the draft. He’s certainly not short on confidence in his own ability either.

Although many feel Johnson will be drafted outside the top five on draft night, Orlando surprised some when they took Aaron Gordon with the fourth pick last year. Like Johnson, he had impressed a lot of people throughout the year and during workouts, and many felt he could excel at the next level. To see him go so high caught some people off guard though, and Johnson could also be the guy Orlando looks to repeat the trick with.

Like Winslow, he’s got the defensive abilities to almost certainly have an impact from his first professional game. But it’s that three-point potential the Arizona man flashed from time to time (37 percent during his time in college) that intrigues the most. If he could morph into a dependable “3-and-D” guy, a DeMarre Carroll type, the Magic will have found their forward for the future.

It’s Johnson’s late charge up the boards that has me in a relatively good place as the draft itself nears. Ideally, Winslow is there when the team is picking, and they take him. Worst-case scenario though, they go with Johnson instead, and watch as their team makes a push for the playoffs next season.

There is of course a third option, just as likely to happen. Orlando goes in a different direction completely and drafts a Mario Hezonja or something like that, making me look foolish for falling in love with the games of two forwards who haven’t done a single thing in the professional game yet — both of whom are passed up on in order to go with a guy who suits the needs of the team better.

Never a dull moment where the lottery is concerned anyway.

Next: NBA: 5 Playoff Teams Facing Franchise-Altering Summers

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