Orlando Magic: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

3. Nick Anderson (SG) — No. 11 pick in 1989 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Magic):  692 GP, 15.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1.8 TOV, 45.4 FG%, 36.3 3P%, 67.3 FT%

With the first pick in franchise history, the Orlando Magic took Nick Anderson at the No. 11 spot in the 1989 NBA Draft — much to the relief of former head coach Matt Guokas, who had doubts that Anderson would still be on the board.

"“We’re ecstatic,’” Guokas said via UPI.com. “Nick’s got a terrific body and is a strong rebounder with a scorer’s mentality. We felt he would be gone by the 11th pick. You can’t believe how we were holding our breath.”"

As it turned out, there was a lot to be excited about as Anderson became a fixture on the roster for a decade. During that stretch, he posted averages of 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 32 minutes per outing.

Anderson was a double-digit scorer in each of his 10 seasons in Orlando, with his most productive years occurring in 1991-92 and 1992-93. In those two seasons, he averaged over 19 points and six rebounds per contest.

As was the case with Scott, Anderson’s role was reduced somewhat with the arrival of Penny and Shaq. While his last season in Orlando was 18 years ago, Anderson still leads the team in several categories, including field goals made (4,075), field goals attempted (8,976), steals (1,004) and games played (692), per Basketball-Reference.

That being said, it is only fitting that he was considered the best player on the roster during the team’s early years in the NBA.