Orlando Magic: 3 reasons Justin Jackson was a bad pick
By Luke Duffy
3. Fit issues
Jackson may be the type of player that teams need in the league today, but the Magic are going to struggle to fit him into their rotation as it is currently constructed. Right now, the team has restricted free agent Aaron Gordon on the books, who they will be looking to keep. Bamba and Jonathan Isaac will also feature heavily next season.
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Center Bismack Biyombo has one of the hardest deals in the league to move (making $17 million this coming season and the one after it) while Khem Birch emerged as nice player last year.
Add to that Nikola Vucevic, who could see time as a stretch forward with his increasing ability to shoot from deep, and it is hard to see where Jackson would fit into all of this as a small-ball 4.
He will most certainly spend time in the G League, where Frazier will either join him or be the reason he is down there. Don’t forget Wesley Iwundu either.
Although president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has appeared open to the prospect of shaking up the roster through trades this summer, this is easier said than done.
The market for Biyombo is non-existent, and the phones aren’t ringing for teams inquiring about Vucevic either.
Jackson may be the kind of player who is potentially good on both ends of the court and entices teams because of their potential to play multiple positions. But will he actually be given an adequate chance to show what he can do in a crowded frontcourt, or even on the wing?