Orlando Magic: 3 reasons for optimism with the sixth overall pick
By Luke Duffy
3. Forcing their hand
The Magic don’t exactly have an illustrious record this decade with picking young talent, and so for this reason, falling to the sixth pick may be a blessing in disguise. This is because other players who they may have taken will likely be gone, forcing them to pick the best player available at the time.
Mock drafts are a dime a dozen at this time of the year, but ESPN currently has Oklahoma point guard Trae Young going sixth. Young is an explosive and exciting point guard, the kind of player the Magic desperately need to generate some hype around the team.
While there are some who think they should take the best available big when their time to select comes around, and there are some potentially greats ones available, the need for a guard is stronger.
If the Magic had selected second or third, there’s every reason to believe they would have strongly considered a player like Marvin Bagley III or Jaren Jackson Jr.
Those players could turn into stars for sure, but with Gordon (likely to get a max extension), Isaac, Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo (contract makes his impossible to move) already on the books, where exactly would that new frontcourt player fit it?
With the sixth pick, the team doesn’t have to worry about that, as the needs of the teams above them dictate that Bagley and Jackson will likely be gone by the time they’re up.
A partnership of Young, Gordon and Issac is an exciting one that would be able to influence the game offensively (Young, Gordon) and defensively (Isaac) — an exciting prospect.