In what was an enjoyable and unpredictable 2021 NBA Draft night, the Orlando Magic emerged as one of the organizations that can be happy with their night’s work. After weeks of speculation around the team being just outside the sure-fire players in this draft, they had Jalen Suggs fall to them with the fifth overall pick.
This was a move that surprised many, and once Suggs was secured it threw open the possibility of the Magic going in a wildly different direction with their eighth pick. With names like James Bouknight, Jonathan Kuminga and even Moses Moody being linked to the franchise, once an exciting guard like Suggs was available for selection, the prospect of another big joining the ranks increased.
In a surprising turn of events, the Orlando Magic were one of the real winners of the 2021 NBA Draft, as they selected Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner.
This is exactly what happened, with the Magic selecting forward Franz Wagner, younger brother of Magic player Moritz. Wagner has enjoyed a steady rise on many people’s draft boards before the big night, with a lot of buzz that other organizations such as the Sacramento Kings were interested in him.
Suggs feels like a bonus because he wasn’t expected to be available, while Wagner is the kind of calculated gamble that you can take once you have gotten somebody like Suggs. On top of that, the front office now has players they could trade, such as Gary Harris, Terrence Ross and Mohamed Bamba, to really begin to fill out the roster in their vision for a better future.
That is for discussion later on though, as there is plenty of growing, and most likely losing, to do before then. Right now feels like a celebration for how this draft went for the Magic though, and here are the three main takeaways from a satisfying night.
Orlando Magic NBA draft night takeaways: 3.They finally got lucky
Ever since Dwight Howard left town almost a decade ago, the Magic have had simply terrible draft luck. Not that fans of other teams cared. After all, this is the same team who won draft lotteries to select Howard and Shaquille O’Neal in the first place. But for all of the losing and mediocre rosters the team trotted out there, it never resulted in a player who even got close to an All-Star team.
Players like Mario Hezonja (fifth), Aaron Gordon (fourth) and Mohamed Bamba (sixth) always felt like they were selected with the pick that came after the sure-fire successes in their draft class. In the case of Hezonja and Bamba, it has been even worse than that. High lottery picks that were either a waste (Hezonja) or are close to being one (Bamba).
Even when the Magic had the second overall pick in 2013 (the highest they would draft after the Howard era came to an end), they were able to take Victor Oladipo in what was a pretty weak class. A player who would go onto much better things once he had left the organization, who never really got going in Orlando and who fans did not mind seeing the back of.
The return for Oladipo may have been horrendous (the infamous Serge Ibaka rental that represented a real low point in short-term thinking for the franchise), but few could have predicted the ascent of Oladipo from that moment onwards. With the Toronto Raptors surprisingly taking Scottie Barnes fourth overall, however, the Magic finally got their slice of luck.
Barnes may yet be an excellent player in the NBA, but his skill set was a lot closer to the defensively-minded players that the Magic have drafted in the past. Another forward who could absolutely help the team to win if the right players were put around him. The problem for the Magic though, is that those players are yet to materialize, although they are getting closer.
Suggs on the other hand is an exciting guard who has the same chip on his shoulder mentality that teammate and fellow guard Cole Anthony does. Anthony was something of a revelation for the Magic last season in how he approached the game. He is relentless, has the bit between his teeth. So too does Suggs, and an identity around those two could lead to great things down the road.
Orlando Magic NBA draft night takeaways: 2. They took a risk
Although a number of teams showed interest in Wagner, it is still less certain that he has an impact on the Magic in the same way that Suggs will. Remember, there were just as many people who were delighted the franchise took Hezonja back in the day and truly believed he could be the piece to help bring them back to relevancy.
Outside of the both of them being European, Wagner is certainly not Hezonja. Defensively there’s a lot more going on here, while the passing of Wagner is an intriguing piece and something which the Magic could really lean into offensively as time goes on. Franchise icon Nikola Vucevic was a big man who created so much out of the post and paint areas, and Wagner may be able to replicate a bit of that.
The Magic select Franz Wagner with the No. 8 pick in the draft 💫 @brhoops pic.twitter.com/oqYlkjRrBe
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 30, 2021
There are those who also think Wagner will be in a position to help the Magic right away, and while it is possible, those expectations should be tempered. Suggs looks far more ready to step into a starting role on opening night if needed or to come off the bench and help the team to some unexpected early-season wins.
That’s the beauty of getting Suggs though. It allows the Magic to take more of a risk on Suggs, and it also speaks to the shrewdness of the front office as well. A point we will return to. On a broader scale, trading away Vucevic was not a very popular move midway through last season, but that was a risk that has also paid off as well.
Wagner will have his work cut out for him to get minutes. Bamba is fighting for his life with the Magic, Jonathan Isaac will be back from injury eventually and Wendell Carter Jr. has started life well in Orlando. Wagner’s best path to minutes is probably to slip into the Evan Fournier-sized hole in the roster, but that is no certain thing either.
Anthony, Fultz, R.J. Hampton, Suggs, Ross, Harris and Michael Carter-Williams all need to fit in here somewhere. At least until any potential trades get worked out. Even his own brother will be looking to take some of Wagner’s playing time if he sticks around. Nevertheless, this was the right pick to make, with the upside here one of real excitement.
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.