New York Knicks: 3 free agents to take a flyer on

2. Wesley Iwundu

The Orlando Magic are stuck in an NBA purgatory of their own making. When they maxed out Nikola Vucevic, they cemented themselves as a team that isn’t bad enough to tank but isn’t good enough to win a first-round playoff series either.

But they do have some young players with untapped potential. One of those guys is restricted free agent Wesley Iwundu.

First, you have his playmaking ability. When Iwundu entered the league, his ball-handling and passing were considered two of his most reliable skills.

In a pre-draft scouting report in June 2017, Mike Schmitz of Draft Express stated that what stood out offensively about Iwundu was his playmaking ability from the wing.

Iwundu averaged 4.5 assists per 40 minutes in his junior and season years at Kansas State combined.

Orlando has never given him the chance to show that potential off. But it’s there. He struggles with turnovers at times, but Iwundu shows his passing ability best in the fast break.

Unfortunately, Orlando isn’t a running team. They’ve been in the bottom five of the league in pace the past two seasons.

Take a look at these passes to Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic.

You also need to consider Iwundu’s defense. He has room for improvement, but the ability is there.

Cleaning the Glass states that Orlando allows 106.6 points per 100 possessions with Iwundu the floor, and that increases by 3.9 points per 100 when he’s off the floor.

To provide some context, the Magic play like a top-three defense when Iwundu is out there, and a league-average defense when he’s not.

Iwundu’s athleticism allows him able to guard multiple positions. If you don’t believe me, ask Pascal Siakam.

Iwundu made just 9 of 46 (19.6 percent) 3-point attempts as a rookie. A year later, he made 29 of 79 (36.7 percent) for a drastic improvement.

Iwundu’s threes haven’t been falling at the same rate (31.3 percent) overall this season, but his red hot stretch in January that saw him convert on 47 percent of his triples is proof he can perform when he’s given a chance.

Especially when you consider that he played more minutes (23.4) and games (15) in January than any other month this season, here are a few of his threes from that month.

Iwundu has been steadily improving his jump shot since he was in college.

He averaged 65 percent from the free-throw line in his first three college seasons. By his senior year, Iwundu was converting at 77 percent, and first on his team in free-throw percentage. Now, he’s at 80 percent from the line during his short NBA career.

Iwundu made 19 3-pointers in his first three seasons at Kansas State combined and went 32 of 85 in his senior year. This kid is willing to put in the work. There’s no reason to give up on him, but there’s every reason to take a shot on him.

As you may have guessed from this lengthy write-up, I watch more Magic games than the average non-Magic fan, so I’ve seen a lot of Iwundu, and I’m a big fan of his game. I’d love to see him on the Knicks.

The truth is that Iwundu theoretically should be playing in Orlando. He’s shown enough potential. But the Magic won’t give Mo Bamba any run, and they took him with the sixth pick, so I’m not holding out hope.

Iwundu’s had an unusual career in Orlando. He was mediocre as a rookie but a surprising key performer as a sophomore.

Josh Robbins of The Athletic wrote a great piece last May that highlighted Iwundu’s hard work during his first two seasons that earned him the respect of head coach Steve Clifford.

Things were looking up for Iwundu entering a vital contract year. But Iwundu has played 82 percent of his career minutes at the small forward spot and that’s a crowded position for the Magic. He’s struggled to find consistent minutes his entire career, and this season hasn’t been any different.