4 players Magic must avoid in 2024 NBA Draft
06/26/2024 12:12 PM
The Orlando Magic’s rebuild is nearly complete. In only two seasons they went from winning 22 games and owning the number one pick in the NBA Draft to making the NBA playoffs and advancing to a Game 7 where a win would have advanced them to the second round. The team is improving and has tons of potential, but Orlando still isn’t viewed as true championship contenders yet.
The Magic have tons of defense, but they lack shooting. While they don’t want to sacrifice on the defensive end, they will be prioritizing offensive players capable of knocking down shots this offseason. The team has two draft picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, including the 18th overall selection.
Nailing their picks will be key in getting the team over the hump, but there are some prospects who don’t make sense with the rest of the Magic’s roster. Check out the gallery to see which players Orlando must avoid drafting in the 2024 NBA Draft.
4. Cody Williams: Colorado, PF
Orlando is great at two things: offensively, they are good at attacking the basket, and defensively they are great at… well, everything. Specifically, Orlando has great length and athleticism on defense. Cody Williams’ strong suits are a little redundant on the Magic’s roster.
Williams is one of the best defensive players in this draft class. Jonathan Issac is a player Williams has been compared to, but Issac just had a bounce-back season and is prepped to have a big year next season. On offense, Williams is best at putting the ball on the floor and getting to the paint, but he wouldn’t be given the keys to do that very often with the Magic, considering Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are the team’s primary ball handlers.
Most teams lets point guards operate their offense, and Williams ability to handle the ball on most teams could be coveted, but the Magic are one of the rare teams that already have wings capable of creating.
Williams is a player who is viewed as having a high ceiling, but he’d likely be unable to reach his potential if he was drafted by the Magic. It is unlikely he will fall to pick 18, but if he does fall outside of the lottery, he isn’t a player the Magic should consider trading up for.
3. Ryan Dunn: Virginia, SF
Ryan Dunn only makes sense to draft for teams that need defense. The Magic certainly don’t need more help on that end. In fact, the team has arguably the best defense in the NBA, and they even ranked third in defensive rating last year, according to NBA.com. Jonathan Issac, Wendell Carter Jr., Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black are all great defensive players, and they are all under contract for next season.
Dunn is a defensive specialist, but he is lacking offensively, especially when it comes to shooting the basketball. Orlando needs to surround Banchero and Wagner with shooters, not non-shooters.
Dunn likely won’t be drafted in the first round, but even if he falls to the Magic’s second pick, he isn’t a player that they should take a flyer on.
2. Kyle Filipowski: Duke, center
Mo Wagner, Orlando’s backup center, has a chance to hit free agency this year. The Magic have a team option on his contract, though, and considering he is the brother of Magic star Franz Wagner, it would make a lot of sense for the team to bring him back into the fold for next season.
If Orlando lets Wagner walk, then Kyle Filipowski could make a lot of sense as a potential draftee. If Wagner is brought back, though, then the acquisition of the Duke center would be redundant. Filipowski has often been compared to Wagner. They have a similar athletic profile and build, they both are solid but not great shooters, and they both score in the paint in a similar fashion.
Perhaps Filipowski could learn under Wagner for a year and then take over in his role next season, but Wagner could likely be retained long term for cheap, meaning using a draft asset as prestigious as the number 18 pick could likely be used in a more impactful way, and that is why the Magic should avoid drafting Filipowski.
1. Zach Edey: Purdue, center
Orlando’s biggest stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, are both excellent scorers, but both players thrive more attacking the rim than shooting jump shots from behind the three-point line. This slashing mentality means the team needs spacing for their offense to be maximized, and Zach Edey is a spacing nightmare.
Edey was a dominant collegiate player. He became one of the best collegiate players in recent memory after being named the National Player of the Year twice. However, his skillset isn’t necessarily well suited for the modern NBA. There are a fair share of concerns about the Purdue product’s defense, but it his offense that wouldn’t fit well with the Magic.
Edey is limited to the paint offensively. He doesn’t have anything that resembles a jump shot, and he requires the ball to be in his hand in the painted area for long durations to be able to score the basketball. Edey is uncomfortable and unfamiliar with spreading the floor, and the amount that he would clog the paint would limit Banchero and Wagner from being at their best.
The ideal center next to the star duo needs to be able to hit jump shots, or at the bare minimum they need to be able to work out of the dunker spot, but Edey’s lack of verticality and ability as a lob threat limit him in that role, too. As previously mentioned, the Magic hold a team option on Mo Wagner’s contract. If he hits the open market, then Orlando will be in need of another center, but Edey isn’t one who fits the current roster.
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