Considering the Orlando Magic’s draft lottery historical past, nothing is simple in the course of the scouting course of that culminates with the NBA draft in New York.
But when considering what lies forward for them, the better half is behind the Magic.
Orlando touchdown the No. 1 decide within the June 23 draft gave the Magic full management. Now they’ve the strain — which they welcome — of creating positive they select the proper participant.
“We have more work to do,” normal supervisor John Hammond said on In The Zone with Brandon Kravitz. “Evaluation of watching these guys a little more thoroughly, a little more succinctly. Most importantly, a chance to actually spend time with them, get to know them, run them through a battery and find out everything we can.”
The Magic will begin internet hosting exercises at their facility for prospects over the subsequent few weeks, giving them an opportunity to make extra in-depth evaluations than they did in the course of the draft mix in Chicago — the place lots of the high prospects didn’t participate in scrimmages, on-court drills or measurements.
Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Auburn’s Jabari Smith are thought of the highest gamers within the draft.
Hammond reiterated that Orlando will select the participant the Magic imagine would be the greatest in the long term, not simply who suits subsequent 12 months’s staff higher.
“You hate to be too cliché and say, ‘We’re going to go with the best player on the board,’ but I really believe that when you get to this level of the draft, you live by that,” Hammond stated. “We can’t sacrifice a lesser player just because we have this need. I don’t think any need can be that great.”
But would the Magic lean on the blokes on their roster for these evaluations?
Wendell Carter Jr. (Duke), Chuma Okeke (Auburn) and Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga) all went to school the place one of many high prospects did, though none of them did similtaneously the gamers the Magic are contemplating.
“[Wendell] probably knows Paolo, somewhat, maybe from the Duke connection,” Hammond stated. “I don’t know if Chuma has a real strong relationship with Jabari. The interesting one is Jalen Suggs and Chet are close. If we’re going to consult with one on one situation, that’d be it.”
The Magic even have the Nos. 32 and 35 picks within the second spherical.
They spoke with a number of gamers throughout final week’s mix who could possibly be obtainable after they’re on the board with a kind of second-round picks.
Orlando will herald prospects it believes could possibly be obtainable within the vary of these second-round alternatives for exercises.
“This is kind of like the dating process — you don’t know who that person is until you actually live with them,” Hammond stated. “That’s when you make the full commitment. We’re going to have to get to know them the best we can.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com