Orlando Magic: 3 takeaways from the 2021 NBA Draft

Orlando Magic NBA draft night takeaways: 1. They have a smart front office

As recently as last season, the Magic’s front office had frustrated fans with their reluctance to do anything drastic. Instead, they sat on their hands and drafted similar kinds of players in Isaac and Bamba, as well as bringing back Khem Birch from overseas. Carter-Williams also found a home here.

What that resulted in were rosters that were defensively sound, but which really struggled to get buckets. Vucevic was a fabulous offensive big, but too often it was on Fournier or Ross to get hot and bail them out of trouble. Once they blew up the core, however, did we begin to see how smart the front office truly is.

They simply came in and didn’t make any big or splashy moves for the sake of it. They then assessed what they had and what was available, tried to win with the group already largely in place and waited literally years before doing anything substantial. In amongst that they also stole Fultz from the Philadelphia 76ers, which before his ACL tear was a masterstroke.

The 2021 draft represented another milestone in the running of the organization. A player like Kuminga is one the front office would ordinarily have been very drawn to. It was part of the reason the player was linked so heavily with the team. But with some strong defensive players already on board, they switched it up and went after Suggs and Wagner to round out the roster more evenly.

Truthfully this began last year, but it wasn’t totally clear at the time. Anthony and Chuma Okeke representing a shift in the kind of guys they looked to draft. During their tenure in charge, however, the Magic have made the postseason twice, and already have by far and away so many more assets than during the previous rebuild.

General Manager John Hammond is the same man who drafted Giannis Antetokounmpo while with the Milwaukee Bucks, but his roster constructing this time alongside President Jeff Weltman has been equally impressive. The Magic were going nowhere and did not excite. Now there are more than enough young players in place to believe that better days are ahead. Getting Suggs and Wagner only reinforces this fact even more.