Everything is different at No. 18, Nothing is different at No. 18 | Prospect-a-palooza!

Everything is different at No. 18, Nothing is different at No. 18 | Prospect-a-palooza!

happy draft Tuesday everybody we heard from Jeff Walman and the Magic’s approach to the number 18 pick why it’s different but not different and today is Prospect of paloa we’re going to hear from around the lockdown podcast network of the prospects you need to know as we get ready for the NBA draft let’s get to it it’s time for lock on Magic you are locked on Magic your daily Orlando Magic podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and you are indeed locked on Magic today is June 25th 2024 my name is Phil rosik I’m the senior writer over at Orlando magic da.com of course follow me on Twitter Philip rrd on today’s episode of lockon Magic the line of magic prep for the number 18 pick in the NBA draft to talk about how things are a little bit different for the magic this time around and here from Jeff welman himself as the magic prepar for the draft on Wednesday plus today is draft Tuesday our final draft Tuesday so we’re going to do Prospect to paloa we’re going to listen and hear from the experts around the lockdown podcast that work about all the players that we suspect the magic are targeting in the NBA draft I’ll have some thoughts of my own on them as well so this episode might be a little bit longer than our normal episodes um that should be really really informative we’ll get to all that coming up here in just a moment first we want to thank you again for making lockdown magic part of your day every day no matter when you listen to us whether it’s first in the morning whether it’s right when we upload we truly appreciate you making lock on Magic part of your day every day remember there’s a great lockon podcast covering every single team in the NBA just SE for locked on and the team you’re looking for the lockon podcast Network it your team every day today’s episode of lockdown magic is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more as the playoffs wind down and the sports start to dry up this summer fuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long visit fanduel.com lockon to get started so we’re not used to this like we’re we’re not used to this we’ve the Orlando Magic for the last decade have essentially drafted in the lottery every single year and not just the lottery the high Lottery even last year the Orlando Magic sat with the sixth pick we’re used to being in the lottery worried about Chicago worried about where the magic are going to land and expecting to get a high impact player expecting to have our pick of the litter so to speak and to get a player that’s going to make a major deal for this Orlando Magic team that that’s what it’s been like for the last decade and yeah Sand magic got Anthony black and Jet Howard in last year’s Lottery and and there’s still players that are growing and developing and the magic are hopeful that they’ll turn into something but this year is very different this year is a completely different challenge the number 18 pick does not come with the shity with the guarantee that they’re going to get an impact player it does not come with the certainty that a lottery pick might come with but nonetheless the 18th pick is still a place to get a solid player we’re going to go over a lot of names here in a little bit so have your pen and paper ready let’s learn some names let’s talk let’s talk a little bit about these players um we will get to all of them coming up here in a minute the Aline of magic though still sit here with a choice they still sit here with a process and as Jeff welman made clear when he spoke to the media on Monday the Orlando Magic still believed that the process that netted him who they kned with the first pick obviously with pal vanan Caro with the fifth pick in Jaylen Suggs the eighth pick in France vogner the sixth pick in Anthony black the 11th pick in jet Howard will net them someone solid this time around but no doubt picking 18 is different than picking in the lottery well obviously um the most important thing is the draft comes first so it’ll be informative in that respect if nothing else uh obviously you know you’re right philli 18 is different than where we’ve been picking more recently and so you have to kind of recalibrate your expectations to that um but I think we’re looking at some good players at 18 and uh our guys have been working really hard on the draft and um you know it starts obviously it started about this time last year and um you know this is the culmination of all their efforts they do great jobs we do a lot of background work you know that the person is as important to us as the player and um so we’re excited about the draft but yeah picking 18 is different you know than picking um in the lottery obviously it’s different as Jeff wman said there’s an acknowledgement that maybe the talent level isn’t as high the the you know the pressure may not be as high but make no mistake about it this is still an opportunity anytime you have the chance to add a key player it is an opportunity while we may be recalibrating our expectations instead of going for a player that this franchise this team thinks can be a star instead of maybe going for a player with that high upside the magic are looking for someone they expect to fill an important bench roll to grow into a solid player maybe that is what the magic are looking for maybe that’s the recalibration they’re no longer hunting for an Allstar or for that home run swing they’re looking for a single someone that can contribute something this season or contribute into a bench roll for the team that will one day compete for a championship or for the team that will make the playoffs next year it is different there’s criticism right now over who the magic picked last year and how they used their rookies both Anthony black and Jet Howard were out of the rotation last year but Jeff welman sat and said it after the draft last year the magic are in a new phase of their rebuild rookies are not guaranteed playing time the magic are trying to develop and grow their young players but that is no longer the only goal winning matters so ultimately we do have to think and question okay which players fit the Magic’s winning mentality now which players will contribute to winning how much should the magic draft based off need how much should the magic draft based off of best play available some of those questions or the answer to some of those questions do change but I think what’s most important and what’s most important to remember is that no matter where the magic are picking this is still an opportunity to add Talent this is still an opportunity to add a player who can make an impact who can be part of this team and as we prepare for free agency as we talked about yesterday this team is still built first through the draft and that philosophy is as big as anything else about this magic I don’t know what’s more important I think it’s always important to get your draft picks right if you can and you’re it’s a chance to add a good young player who will continue on the legacy of what you’re trying to build you know on the court off the court in the locker room and the beauty of the draft is you get to bring somebody in who um becomes um what the Orlando Magic are about from day one and so hopefully if that person and player can grow into that and become a meaningful player for your team it’s worth its weight and gold and that’s the thing we talk about you know all of this has to be viewed in the context of free agency and and and we will dive a little bit more into that tomorrow as we do our last prep for the draft and then I go over a little bit what what what I did in the lock on NBA Mock Draft no ultimate mock draft episodes on that I’m sorry to say but I’ll go over what I did in my mock draft exercise with the locked on hosts everything is viewed alongside concurrently with free agency which is obviously a huge part of this offseason but getting a player on that rookie contract getting that player who is ingrained from day one into the magic culture finding a player finding a person as important the person that fits who this magic team is that is ultimately what defines this franchise and defines this rebuild the draft is who the magic are and that’s why this pick at 18 whatever the magic do with it whoever the magic pick with it it’s still so important it’s different it’s not the lottery it’s not a highy draic it’s not a place where you expect to find a star but the process and what the magic are looking for whether it’s the length joke whether it’s the shooting whether it’s the defense whatever it is the magic are looking for it stays the same at 18 as it was at six last year the magic have their process and we’re going to see where that process ultimately lands as Jeff Wiman though said Monday the draft is highly unpredictable it is the first step in this offseason it’ll clue us into a little bit May what they’re going to do in free agency but at the end of the day the Magic’s goal here is to bring in talent and talent that can contribute so who are the options for the Orlando Magic well I am glad you asked because we probably much have a full episode still to go we’re going to talk about all the players that the magic could pick all the targets and hear from the experts around the lockon podcast Network to get the load on on them we’re going to get to that coming up here in just a moment but first it’s time for quick work from our friends over at FanDuel it is summer and summer is fun for everybody but it is a little bit of a downtime in the Sports World among the four major sports now that the St Lake Cup Final is over congratulations to our friends in South Florida the Florida Panthers uh throw throw some Rats on the ice for us um all we really got left is baseball MLB WNBA will have summer league coming up the Olympics are coming to but the summer is kind of the time when Sports starts to wind down but FanDuel lets you keep the sports going whenever you want all you have to do is open up the app and dream up bets anytime you are in the moood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers they boost or bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long jump in on those NBA Futures before free agency starts through line magic currently have the worst odds to win the championship among all teams that made the playoffs in the NBA there are still a lot of doubters about this magic team so if you want to head your bets you want to make just a kind of fun little bet to keep yourself going through the season that’s a that’s that’s probably a pretty good value even winning the Eastern Conference probably a pretty good value so head over to fanduel.com lockon and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel is an official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball we want to thank you for making lockdown magic part of your day every day for your next Liston be sure to check out the lockdown sports day 247 streaming Channel if you want the latest on the Florida Panthers and their Stanley Cup Final celebration you want to get the lowdown on the Atlanta Hawks and what they’ll do with the top pick or who is going to make trades around the NBA the lockdown sports day 247 channel has you covered with the biggest stories in sports from the local experts like the ones we’re about to hear from of the lockdown podcast Network it’s now streaming 2 47 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app that’s part of lockon podcast Network your team every day okay I I want this segment and the rest of the show to be kind of your shorthand um we have been a little bit slow on our draft rep I I will take full fault on that been trying to do a draft show every Tuesday get get you a little bit familiar with some of the names that are going to be out there I hope I’ve introduced them a little bit to you today is not be the super deep dive because we’re going to hit do quick hitters on everyone but this is going to be your General survey the names that we will talk about here there might be a few that aren’t on the Magic’s list or or you know it’s the magic like to go off board a lot we’re not going to hit like Jaylen Tyson or anyone him he’s probably the only name I’ve I’ve left off my list and now I’ve mentioned him so so so there there there there it goes um we’re going to try and hit all the major targets for the Orlando Magic in the a draft in this segment and we’re going to hear directly from the local experts who cover the cover the cover the beats cover these teams cover these players and get the lowdown on all these prospects we will hit every single one except for one I will I will separate him out and talk about him individually because I do think it’s worth putting him on there um Jaylen Tyson did not make the cut but know his name as well we’re gonna start though with the big wings we know the Orlando Magic love their big wings we they love the 68 69 610 guys who are Playmakers who are versatile this is the magic ideal give me size give me length give me defense give me basketball IQ give me guys who do something that is not typical for a player of their size and every and most mock drafts that I have seen uh San Vini ESPN ESPN a lot of them a lot of the kind of more solid mock drafts that I look at have had the magic targeting these big Wing players we’ll talk about whe what the magic are going to be looking for in the draft I’ll make my prediction on tomorrow’s episode of lock on Magic um but I would agree that a big Wing would not be so bad match about to lose chumo KK um you know they have jet Howard to kind of fill that that shooter role I suspect they’ll go midlevel with with either a big Wing or a shooter and obviously Jonathan Isaac’s health is always a question so this is an opportunity to add a add a player who can be a a pretty immediate contributor uh and and fill a position that’s really really important for this team you know do you want to r on Caleb Houston you want to try to platoon that that power forward spot with Joe you know Joe Engles was kind of filling a lot of that spot this is why that a lot of mock drafts especially early on in the process had the magic looking at Colorado big Colorado forward Tristan D Sila so let’s hear from locked on Buffalo’s locked on col the Colorado Buffalo’s podcast on Tristan D Sila Tristan D Silva is taking his talent to the NBA after a great four-year career in Boulder I’m Kevin borba host of locked on bus and I’m tell you everything you need to know about Tristan D Silva DVA is a Ford who is 23 years old and was named to two all Pack 12 Conference teams during his career one of which was his past season he averaged 16 points grabbed five boards and his skill set is something that will immediately translate to the NBA because he’s a lot like Kyle Anderson he plays defense he hits Threes And every NBA team needs that Pronto they need it by yesterday and he could do just that for more on Tristan D Silva and all things Colorado follow And subscribe to lock on Buff on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast UCF fans definitely subscribe to lock on Buffs I know that game sold out already for football season gonna be a fun year in Big 12 with Colorado joining the frey but that’s actually a great comparison I’ve often compared uh Tristan D Silva to a less athletic fron vog um like we mentioned this very early in the process I think D Silva will be gone by the time the magic pick I don’t think he will last to 18 but you’re looking at a senior player who great decision maker great play you know good playmaker good three-point shooter can get himself in get get himself in the lane again not the Super athlete Kyle Anderson’s actually a really good comparison I kind of have Kyle Anderson on my free agent list perhaps um he’ll probably be too rich for the magic for what they’re going to look for him for but um he would he would be to me Tristan D Silva is like the perfect addition to this team I have confidence that he could play immediately uh and fit the magic style in just about every way at the very least he’s no worse than chumo KK essentially dominat he would be replacing if Tristan D Silva is the ideal option as the big forward then who is the next option that kind of fits that big forward style that would be Kansas’s Johnny Fury another big 12 guy so let’s hear from lockon Jayhawks on Johnny Fury Johnny Fury from Kansas is a player perfectly suited for the NBA I’m Derek Johnson from lockon Jayhawks he’s a 6′ 8ish Wing who at 19 years old was a soaring late Riser went from nearly in a future High School recruiting class to reclassifying to showing flashes off the bench to then starting in January to then from January through February going off with 12 points per game on 38% from three now it was a mixed bag over his final 13 games just 28% from three there and when Kansas became more relied on him with more injured team you saw some deficiencies in the half court creating his own shots and consistency as well as on the defensive end though there was always a high level of want to and high effort level on that end but overall the shooting and trans ition play make you think he’s going to be a good fit for the NBA for more on Fury and all things Kansas J Hawks follow And subscribe to lockon Jayhawks on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts that is a great breakdown of Johnny Fury that’s kind of how I feel about him when you look at his numbers his numbers aren’t overwhelming he’s again very young player very young Ford uh came over from Australia to play here in in the US um he he when you look at his numbers they’re very underwhelming but when you watch the tape you see a player who understands when to cut and when to slash to the basket especially in transition that was something he showed in the in the Kansas lost to UCF here in Orlando uh back in early January which is which is that game was kind of the game that got him into the starting lineup as he was ried on more he probably wasn’t ready for a bigger offensive role so Kansas had a lot of injuries including to their star guard Kevin mcculler a senior who’s probably going to go early to mid second round I’d have him on my list for number for the 47th pick um for the for the magic um we talk more second round probably on Wednesday on Thursday’s episode before we get to the second round um but uh Fury to me is a very high upside swing I don’t think he’s as ready to play in the NBA I think that his I think a lot of people you either believe in his shot or you don’t I am not the biggest believer in his shot but it’s still something he could develop Tristan D Silva I think is a more solid pick at this point but Fury is the guy that that most mocks have going to the magic at this point ESPN I know Jonathan gavone H and Jeremy wo have him going to the magic at this point I’ve seen several mock drafts I think Vini had him going going to the magic for a long time I don’t know if he has it in his latest mock draft those are kind of the two prototypical big forwards now I want to look at some other wings and some other players who fit that bill the guy that I had I did a mock draft I’m gonna do I’m gonna do another mock draft uh for Orlando Magic daily hopefully and have that hopefully up on Wednesday the other guy that I had that I had in my first mock draft a few weeks ago was kwn George of Miami and he’s a player that is all potential at this point but the skills that he has and his size really fit what the magic want to do so let’s hear from loon KES on keson George Miami Hurricanes combo guard keson George is ready to start his pro career after a oneandone season in Coral Gables I am Alex Dono from lockon canes hean George’s length and versatility make him a high ceiling NBA Prospect he’s 6 foot eight an excellent shooter very good ball handler those attributes LED Miami head coach Jim Len EGA to use extensively at the point George played in 30 games started 16 as a freshman averaging 7.8 points three rebounds 2.2 assists per game he shot over 42% from the floor just under 41% from three Gan George was born in Switzerland played in France for for four years before joining the Hurricanes George might need some g-league seasoning before he’s ready to be a full-time NBA contributor but the potential is certainly there a player comp for him is Joe Les for more on keesan George and all things hurricanes follow And subscribe to locked on canes on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts and that’s the thing that I really like about Kon George is that he is a shooter um and shooting doesn’t usually go away uh yes I agree he does need some more seasoning in the G league but guess what the magic are perfectly positioned right now to use this pick and send that player to the G League to develop for year it’s what they did with jet Howard as Jeff wman said Monday they think jet Howard had a really good year think they’re really excited to bring him up to the orlandoo magic and give him a real chance for minutes they I think it’s very possible that the magic Ed this 18th pick to again give them a year to develop in the G League it’s certainly possible and for me Kon George is a high upside swing like again the stats like don’t say that he’s a very good player only average about seven points per game but he got up a lot of Threes I think he took like four or five threes per game despite only scoring seven points per game a lot of his shots were three so as a you know again you’re looking at a younger more athletic Joe Engles and and look I think most of us feel like we’re more athletic than Joe Engles sorry Joe we love you um Joe Engles might agree with that statement actually um but Joe Engles work for the magic I hate to tell you this but like yes the defense was a problem in the playoffs and that lack of athleticism was a problem in the playoffs but the play but I told you when the magic signed Joe Engles you’d like him for the playmaking as much for the shooting if kesan George can develop into that if you can kind of build him into that kind of a player that’s a really high value player especially coming at this point in the draft the next guard I want to talk about is jacobe Walter this is more of your typical 3 andd player went to Baylor a very hard-nosed defensive team so let’s hear from locked on Baylor about jacobe Walter Baylor has had a player selected in the top 16 of the NBA draft the last three years jacobe Walter is going to be the fourth I’m cam Stewart from lock on Baylor and jacobe Walter had a massive freshman season averaging 15 points a game and four rebounds a game on the way to the Big 12 freshman of the year and with his great shooting ability and I think that defense is going to develop too I can see a lot of like cavius Caldwell Pope in him maybe even some Jaylen Suggs who became a much better shooter for the magic this year I do see him making an impact for someone next year maybe a team that is contending for a playoff spot I could see jacobe Walter absolutely playing a role for that team and for more on Walter and all things Baylor follow And subscribe to locked on Baylor on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast starting to see a lot of guys that are similar to players that the magic have and and like look I I will fully admit I have not watched all of these videos so I’m kind of reacting to them as I first hear them here on the podcast um these are all players that the magic like you know Kyle Anderson is a long you know kind of long L you know Long Tall skilled player for his size to hear uh B the B lock on Baylor compare uh compare to Kobe Walter to Jaylen sugs who kavus calwell Pope someone that we’re talking about the mag potentially signing this summer that’s the kind of player the magic are looking for and look Walter I think his defense is is solid uh it’ll be something that he has to continue to improve he’s still young um but he gets into the paint really well he can create a little bit I don’t think that’ll be something he’ll be relied on as much in the NBA but if a shooting can can translate to the NBA this is a really strong pick uh he’s expecting to go in the top top 16 uh we’ll see if he’s there at 18 um we’ll talk more about him uh very very soon um but jacobe Walter is definitely someone to have on your list the last Wing player that I want to get to you before we move on to our next segment to our next group of players is someone that you probably haven’t really heard of but he might be the most magic player of the bunch let’s hear about pom dier pom dier is a young 18-year-old Prospect from France who I believe has a chance to be one of the sleepers of this year’s draft I am James Barlo from the locked on NBA Big Board podcast pcome di stands at 6 foot eight and will be able to play small forward in the NBA his last season for m in Germany D averaged 6.6 points 3.5 rebounds in 15 minutes per game his nice shooting touch emerging ball handing skills and age makes Pome di one of the more intriguing talents in this year’s draft his NBA player comparison is Caleb Martin there’s a chance Dia can crack the rotation in his rookie season for more on Pome dier and all things NBA draft related follow And subscribe to the locked on NBA bigboard podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast pcome daddy a not mentioned there very very long wingspan he’s a big big player and while his shooting does has come along long way he’s improved a lot as a shooter it’s still a little bit of a struggle his shooting numbers are not going to look particularly good dier is a very very raw player and Caleb Barton also another player that that I think we’ve mentioned a little bit as a potential free Asian Target for the Orlando Magic as well uh and that mid-level range um the magic have had daier in Orlando he’s one of the players that we that has been confirmed or reported to work out in Orlando he is an interesting player for sure a little bit more of a long shot but we know Orlando likes to go offboard with some of these picks so mome definitely a name to know those are our wings we’re going to get to The Bigs we’re going to get to that coming up here in just a moment so a lot of Orlando Magic fans uh are looking for an upgrade at Center um you know I think that is I think it’s a fair thing to say you know Wendell Carter had a really tough year with injuries uh I know that’s a question that I have raised about him I a believer in wall car I wanna I want to say this very firmly we’ll talk more about Wendell Carter tomorrow um as we talk about trades and and and what the magic are looking for there um but there’s definitely a sense that okay the magic might need an upgraded Center um we did a whole episode on this a few weeks ago I don’t believe that the upgrade that the starting upgrade at Center is certainly going to be there at 18 um you know I think the only guy that I would probably draft ahead draft to get when to to kind of replace Wendall Carter might be Donovan kingan um but even then I think Kling in is just very limited as a shooter and I think the magic do value versatility and do value a guy that can step out and shoot jumpers um they think they can gang rebound a little bit you know again well I I I think I really want Wendell Carter to have one healthy season and maybe that’s asking too much maybe that’s hoping for too much um but I I think the magic are not necessarily ready to move off of wend Carter but having said that that means that magic do need a starter caliber third Center they they need to put a center on the roster like a goo batad who at this point I expect will stay with the magic in some capacity um they need a third Center that can start 15 to 20 games and and to me when you look at the center class here that is the ultimate question is whether whether the magic can get get the bigs to start to start to start with there is one guy that I am kind of interested in but I’ve heard very mixed reaction so I’m interest to hear what lockon hoers has to say about kware khil wear from the Indiana hooers is projected as a first round pick but I think he’s still being underrated I’m Jacob goens from lockt on hooers khil wear is a 7 foot 240 pound center with a 7 foot7 Wings span who transferred from Oregon to Indiana for a sophomore season he was all big 10 second team and all big 10 defensive team and second in the conference of double doubles and rebounds per game his NBA draft comparison is Jared of the Cleveland Cavaliers people are asking can he make an immediate impact on an NBA roster and I say because of his defense his rebounding and his inside shot making he will be seeing the floor early and often for whatever NBA team takes a chance for more on kware and all things Indiana hooers follow And subscribe to the locked on hooers podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts by the numbers I agree with that kle wear does look like a NBA Prospect if there is a Derek Lively in this draft and by Derrick Lively I mean a rookie Center who just makes an impact with his energy and his his effort and his ability to just be a presence around the rim I think it’s kle Weare so if the magic dude draft kle Weare that means they really believe in him because you know he was a close to a double I think he averaged a double double in college which is not easy to do about four you know like 14 and 12 or something like that uh he blocked about two shots per game he shown a willingness to shoot jumpers which I think while it I don’t think that’s NBA ready yet I think that willingness to develop that part of his game is big but the people who are Skeptics about kle wear are like major Skeptics um you know draft people that I trust have said stay away from klew and I don’t know if that’s just a bad impression off of his time at Oregon um there are questions about his motor his effort his desire to be good these are things you have to sus out in the pre-draft process you have to get that part out in the interview you have to get that part out in the workout to see if a player is going to put in the work to be a better player you know you haven’t made it just because you made the NBA that’s that’s a step in the process and I think that’s the big question that a lot of people have about kware Indiana people and and I’m glad that that um our friend there from blockon hooers was able to say this um Indiana people I’ve seen you in the comments when I talked about Kare too by the way um have said nope effort was fine in college uh you know he was fine with with us he played really well we’re all really impressed with him um there have been some complaints that maybe he disappears in games floats around the perimeter too much but you know again this this is the stuff you got to sus out and figure out and you either believe in him or you don’t but I the talent is definitely there with klew and I would definitely have an eye on him the next guy is probably the biggest name in in the draft or the biggest name Among The Bigs Zack Ed is a two-time nasmith award winner he’s divisive among draft people let’s hear what they have to say about zachie produce Zack Edy was College basketball’s most dominant player the last two years I’m Craig Shaman for lock down Big 10 Zack Edy is a legitimate 7 foot4 a sturdy 300 PBS and he’s got a wingspan of 7 feet 11 Ines he averaged 25 points 12 rebounds and two blocks per game for the boiler makers this year and he’s the two-time national Player of the Year his numbers coming out of college are comparable to Shacks at LSU but his game is more like Yao Mings if this draft were 20 years ago this kid’ be the number one pick there’s no question about it but today’s NBA game is full of Shooters of all sizes on the perimeter the one thing Zack EDI struggles with is shooting on the perimeter in fact he made just one thre pointer in his entire college career and that was this year against Indiana and he banked it in in garbage time I’m gonna be honest I’m gonna be as curious as anybody to see how he’s used to the NBA but I clearly think there’s a place for him if he goes to the right team for more on Zack Edy and all things Big 10 follow And subscribe to lock on Big 10 on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast and I think that really does lay out the debate for Zack Edy like look he went back to college for a fourth year and he looked more refined he looked stronger he looked able to kind of handle your Kell Wares your big players in the college basketball realm he looked like a man among boys but it is also worth noting that Donovan kingan gave him some problems and while he did have a big game in that national championship game Dominic kingan the guy who’s probably going to be number three number four number a top five pick in this year’s draft really gave Zach some problems so building a team around building a team or the right team for Zach Ed is definitely a challenge you kind of want him to play like a Brook Lopez and obviously Brook Lopez found new life when he added that three-point shot Zak doesn’t have that you don’t want him on the perimeter you have to play Drop coverage with him and that’s just really tough to do you have to be able to mix your defenses up to be a highlevel team in the NBA or have Giannis and tupo to cover up all your mistakes um or you know or help funnel players right into you where you can block shots I think Zack Ed is a player who can be successful I don’t think he can be successful for the Orlando Magic I really do not have him on my board I know that he’s a player that a lot of people want to talk about I I don’t think he’s going to last to 18 to be perfectly honest I think someone’s gonna give him a shot um that I don’t have him 18th on my board I have him lower than 18th on my board I I I not a fan of him for the Orlando Magic if Zach e is a refined offensive player refined postup player a guy who knows how to use his size someone that’s still learning how to do that is EES Missy so let’s turn back to lockon Baylor to hear about this big man Prospect look out NBA rims because Here Comes Eve Mei I’m cam Stewart from the locked on Baylor podcast and we are talking about the 7f foot freshman sensation Eve Mei who was just a terror to the rims in the Big 12 this year averaging over 11 points and six rebounds a game while ranking third in the conference in Block shots and route to a big 12 all defensive team I think he can develop into a more polished player like a like a Nick Claxton type but the comparison that sticks out to me is Clint capella that Rim Runner and rim protector will he have an immediate impact it might take a little bit to to get to the physicality of the NBA level but I see him as an elite Rim runner in the years to come for more on Eve Mei and all things Bor follow And subscribe to locked on Bor on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast want to thank cam for doing double duty there with both jacobe Walter and Eve MEC but that gets a lot of I think is a story about Eve Mei like we see this a lot in the NBA where there are these very raw Rim protecting bcks and look Eve Mei has size I remember watching Baylor come here to UCF I cover UCF for the Associated Press um so I remember W you know using Addis some scouting and I remember seeing E Mei and very much noticing his size even against UCF size but even in that game you could see bigger players bug him and and and so it feels like he’s like very much like one of these young players who use their athleticism in size to their advantage to overpower smaller opponents but when they meet up against other players who are just as athletic it takes them a while to adjust and look Eve BC is very very young uh he’s gonna need some time to develop to get up to that physicality as as Cam said there uh but you got to question whether he’s going to whether the magic have the patience to do that obviously I think Orlando does need Rim protection I think that is a big thing but when you’re looking at Young room protectors I think you want to see that a player can you got to question whether a player can learn the discipline it’s easy to go chase blocks but it’s harder to understand I can change a shot by my presence I can change a shot by my length just as much as I can get a block is if I go for a block and I miss it I’m out of position for rebounds and I think that is the area where Eve BC struggles and I think that’s why I have Kel we who’s also a good shot blocker but also an excellent rebounder that’s why I have Kell ranked pretty much the highest of the Center options that that I’m speaking about here the last Center I want to get to is Duke big man Kyle filipowski a player that we know has been through Orlando let’s hear about filipowski now Duke big man Kyle filipowski benefited from playing a second season with the Blue Devils but now he’s ready to begin his NBA career I am Alex Dono from locked on acc Philip hsky is a proven commodity is a seven-footer who can Flex his game out to the perimeter he enjoyed an All-American season in 2024 as a sophomore started all 72 games over his two years with Duke filipowski improved his overall shooting percentages and three-point percentages in his second year in 2024 he shot 34.8% from three 50 and a half% overall and he hauled in over eight rebounds per game Cal filipowski can help an NBA team immediately the question is will he develop into a star or just a steady contributor the common player comp for him is Kelly oen for more on Kyle filipowski and all things Duke follow And subscribe to locked on acc on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast it’s interesting that Alex there speaks about filipowski shooting because I think that is going to be the big differentiator for him there’s a lot to like about filipowski I think that he’s a really skilled player I think that he has a really strong low post game especially I think his low post game is is very very good he works really well around the basket you can give him the ball in the high post much like the magic do with Wendel Carter he’ll make smart passes he’ll make smart plays he sets good screens but I think NBA success depends on whether he can hit that shot not even necessarily the outside shot but that 15 foot jumper that 18 foot jumper I think that’s going to be a big piece of the puzzle for Kyle filipowski and ultimately whether he is successful in the NBA or not um that is a tough thing because I think that centers these days have to be skilled skilled in so many ways and just traditional low post centers don’t work so much anymore it’s just the you know again the post is just unless you can work to get switches post-ups are just not efficient the NBA’s kind of you know NBA analytics Universe has gotten rid of some of those players so I think Cal filipowski a little bit of a dinosaur a little bit of a guy that I think uh could have may not be able to adjust the NBA I’m much more bullish on him or bearish I don’t know what the right term is I I’m not as high on him as as our friend from locktown ACC those are your centers those I think are the center options mat looking for the next point guards there are a lot of interesting point guards to mat could Chase we’ll talk about some of the big ones coming up here in just a moment so I am saving the point guards for last because a I read my script wrong and I was going to do them in the second segment and I did not um but also works out that way because now you’ve had to wait for the point guards we all know point guard is a big need for the Orlando Magic honestly I would say if there’s one thing that I think the magic have to resolve the magic have to address is they need another playmaker they need someone that can make Paulo van Carol’s life easier and so but I think there’s a lot of these options in the NBA draft and wouldn’t surprise me if the magic take a point guard even after taking Anthony black last year and even knowing that you know Jaylen Suggs might be playing point guard again Anthony black is there Cole Anthony’s there they’ll have a little bit of a crowded point guard room even then that just might be the best player and the best option available for the magic so I do I have been shying away from picking point guards in my mock drafts we’ll talk mock drafts more tomorrow um but I’ve been shying away because I do expect the manager to try and acquire a veteran point guard or a veteran ball handler I think that they’re looking to fill that that open guard spot whether it ends up being Jaylen Suggs and another guard another shooting guard or whether it’s a point guard next to Jaylen sugs I think they’ve been saving that spot open for a veteran so I think there is a little bit of a log Jam here with the point guard position having said that there are some really interesting and intriguing options and the first one is probably not going to be available for the magic he seems to have climbed enough list to to to get out of the Magic’s range but I still want to talk a little about Devon Carter from Providence Providence point guard Devin Carter is perhaps the most versatile guard in this entire draft class I’m Andy Patton the host of the locked on college basketball podcast Carter is a six foot three guard who did a little bit of everything last year for Kim English and the Friars armed with an elite 6 fo8 Wings span Carter is a highlevel Defender and rebounder for his position who just under 20 points per game last year while posting Elite defensive numbers and shooting about 38% from three Carter’s length and defensive chops are reminiscent of a pair of Boston guards Drew holiday and Derek white and while that’s a tough ceiling it is Within Reach For The Versatile guard for more on Devin Carter the Big East and all things college basketball check out the locked on college basketball podcast on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts how many boxes for the orlandoo magic and their drafted you check off there we got the wings span 6’3 with the 6’8 wingspan excellent Defender excellent rebounder for his position so he does something that is unique for a smaller guard just kind of like Cole Anthony does you know and he’s a better rebounder than Cole Anthony um having that is is a big deal and I think you know Devin Carter is probably going to be gone but if he is somehow there at 18 the magic going to take him and run with it because they’ll find a way to put him on the floor the shot at 38% doeses need improving his free throw percentage was low but he’s also on the ball a lot more probably more than he would be for the Orlando Magic so he get a little bit get a bunch more catch and shoot opportunities so that is an important thing to remember especially as we talk about some of these guards obviously shooting is a big need for the Orlando Magic and for me among the guards there’s no shooter like Jared McCain one of my favorite prospects in this draft so let’s hear from our friends at locked on acc once again about Jared McCain Duke Blue Devil’s freshman sensation Jared McCain might be the best shooter in this NBA draft I am Alex Dono from locked on acc while he doesn’t have the best length at 6’2 McCain makes up for so much of that with his High basketball IQ his Sharp Shooting and his crafty finishing at The Rim shot 41.4% from Beyond The Arc last year played over 31 minutes per game averaging 14.3 points five rebounds two assists and one steal per contest McCain by the way he’s got three million followers on Tik Tok so he’s multi-talented but he’s all business when it comes to B basketball that’s his number one priority the ACC all rookie and all ACC honorable mention can help an NBA team immediately with his shooting the common NBA comp for him is Seth Curry for more on Jared McCain and all things ACC follow And subscribe to locked on acc on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Jared McCain is the best shooter in this draft I love Dalton connect I love uh Reed I like Reed Shepard I don’t necessarily like him for the magic but I like Reed Shepard uh and and then you have Baylor shyan who we were not going to talk about today but keep an eye on Baylor shyan of kraton 68 forward excellent shooter not a great defender um but you heard there Jared McCain has a lot of the tools the magic like he’s is High basketball IQ can run the point can be a little bit of passer average four five assists per game and be an excellent shooter the size is going to be the concern with him and that’s why he’s sitting at 18 and sitting around this teish range rather than up in the lottery for sure is the lack of size is a real issue and I think there’s some concern about his ability to get to the basket and create penetration he doesn’t have a great initial burst that’s one of the big complaints he’s not a good finisher around the basket he really struggled there but I will say this you watch his tape he can get his shot off over taller Defenders he knows how to create enough space for himself at his own pace to create those shots now doing that at the college level is different than doing it at the pro level and that’s ultimately I think the question about Jared McCain but all the mechanics are there as a shooter as a sometimes play as a some times point guard as a playmaker to make decisions if if if you believe in the IQ if you believe in that ability to create separation he is someone that can play for you and and again play a role it’s not necessarily about being a starter it’s about playing a role Seth Curry may be a low ceiling Seth Curry can play a role on a team and I think he could be better than Seth Curry but um he’s definitely someone to keep an eye on the player that I do have to mention that we don’t have a video for t t t locked on network uh Carlton Carrington of pit very much a favored Prospect for the magic I think Zan facini of the athletic has had him going to the magic at various times during this draft process uh he is considered a three and D point guard um three-point percentage is not going to look good but Carlton Carrington had to carry a lot of pits offense uh he is an outstanding player you know he really came on with the scoring especially toward the end of the season when things really you know became big for pit uh he is an excellent Defender little bit on the small side not much of a distributor at the point guard position the dude can score dude can get after it uh he is definitely someone to have an eye on for the magic let me pull up his stats for since we don’t have the video on him um you know we’ve talked about him at various times but uh Carlton Carrington last year averaging uh let me get the average here 13.8 points per game uh 41.2% shooting on 11 field on 11.7 field goal attempts per game 5.2 rebounds 4.1 assist per game only 1.9 turnovers per game so pretty you know pretty strong correlation there he only shot 32.2% from three on 6.1 attempts per game but shot 78 a half% from the foul line although just on 2.8 attempts per game uh in ACC play shot 77.8% from the floor average 13 and a half points per game again he’s maybe not the dynamic scorer he certainly not Devin Carter at that level but B but Carlton Carrington bub Carrington um people believe that if you take the ball out of his hands a little bit make him a little bit more of a spot up shooter he can be more successful as a shooter again you you see he has to create a lot uh for his team bub Carrington is definitely a name to know definitely a name to have on your list and I wish I had a video to give give more reasons why the magic should be interested in him the last Prospect to talk about today then is a prospect who may or may not be available for the orando magic a player who was considered a top five pick before the lottery but has dropped significantly because of an injury and in several mock drafts I have seen him slip all the way to the magic at 18 if this player is available I think the magic might have to take him and run let’s hear about Nica toic nicoa topic is Serbian guard who place for red star in belgrad Serbia is an interesting player and it will be interesting to see where he lands due to tearing his ACL recently but he does boast unique skills a big point guard who thrives in the pick and roll I’m Le tulen of locked on NBA big board and topage to me if everything goes perfectly could have the most desirable skill set of the draft as an offensive weapon who will distribute and score out of the pick and roll using a 6’6 200 pound frame topit averaged nearly 15 points and six assists this season and demonstrated that skill set with an 89th percentile pick androll operating ability which is classified as excellent pery and then his shot becomes the question is it good enough to punish the defenses that daram to shoot or grow under screens as he’s a crafty driver to the basket who coues size and strength and creativity to finish off plays himself despite lacking topend speed nor Elite topend athleticism time will tell and tune in to lockt on NBA Big Board or on YouTube or your favorite podcasting app to hear more thoughts on topich ni nicoa topic is obviously a topic of hot conversation and and probably going to be one of the more divisive picks in this draft look you’re going to have to wait out the injury there’s no there’s no getting around it there’s a partially torn ACL he’s gonna have surgery on it he’s probably gonna be out all of next year and so whoever whichever team drafts him is gonna have to be patient luckily the magicar team that does have patience six foot six point guards yeah we have an Anthony we have an Anthony black at home but the magic want as many of these big ball handlers as possible they want size they like length and if topich can figure out how to shoot and that’s kind of the big question mark with him he is not a great shooter yet but he’s a great playmaker great decision maker High basketball IQ player these are the players the magic like you take that with the size with the potential to run point at his height that could be something the magic look for it’s just going to be about can you get the Medicals can you feel confident that he’s going to rec recover from any ACL injury major injury we’ve seen that with Markel folz and Jonathan Isaac over the last few years um it they can be a slog to get over and get around get over that um that’s gonna be that that’s the pain tolerance that a team that drafts him is GNA have to have but you can’t deny nicpic has a ton of talent he has again top five you know potential this is like Michael Porter falling to the Denver Nuggets you you know you you you take the patience and you take the talent if topic is there at 18 you pick him and honestly you pick him and you don’t think twice about it unless the reason why he fell so much is that the Medicals are really really bad they don’t think he’s going to recover from the ACL which at this point I there’s nothing to suggest that those to me are the prospects to know as we get ready for the NBA draft those to me are the guys that I have very high on the magic sport I mentioned a few other names Jaylen Tyson from Cal pure score from Cal bounced around a couple different programs until he found the right fit at Cal but an ace score an ace Creator kind of a cam Thomas type if that’s Direction the magic want to go I mentioned Baylor shyan uh of kraton as another issue another option let me go through the rest of my list here I got my my cheat sheet here um other names to maybe keep an eye on I think ton Salon will be gone um Tyler klech more of a traditional point guard smaller at six fo3 but an excellent passer and playmaker I he’s I’ve been seeing him get compared to T.J McConnell um Tyler Don Holmes would be the other big that I would mention from Dayton I love him a lot UND sized a little bit at 6’8 but rebounds really well is developing his three-point shot came a long way this year Dayton was a was just a beast just an ant you know just a really just excellent rebounder for his size uh on the post is just whether you can play power forward or whether you need him to play an undersized Center is the question with him there are a lot of options here in this NBA draft and you know the the deeper you get into the draft the wider that net has to become the more prospects kind of get pulled into your orbit we’ve gone for 50 minutes here Mo you know 40 minutes of that has been talking about these prospects so on tomorrow’s episode of lock on Magic I’m going to go over who I have the ma who I have the magic taking in our locked on mock draft I’ll go over some of the trades that I discussed whether I pulled one off or not what I think the limitations are on the trade market for the Orlando Magic and I will talk as well about who I have the magic taking in a non-trade mock draft so again we’ll go over some of these names once again but that’s how we’ll get ready for the NBA draft on Wednesday but that’s going to do for me today I want to thank you all again for listening to today’s episode of Locked on Magic you course find me on Twitter Philip romd subscribe to the pocast and apple podcast SE your tuned in himay Google play Spotify Odyssey and all the fun s podcast to your podcast enabled listening device be sure check us out on YouTube as well you can find us on YouTube by searching for locked on magic thank you to all the subscribers we’re we we’ve passed 3,000 subscribers and still growing so I appreciate all the listens there for the latest on the Orlando Magic be sure to check out Orlando Magic da.com you can find us there on Twitter omic daily and of course be sure to check out my patreon page magichub at patreon.com orlandomagic HUB for even more Orlando Magic content uh including videos from from interviews you can check it out at patreon.com Orland magic club as always thank you for your support if you enjoyed today’s episode and hearing about all the prospects from all the all the great hosts around the lock on podcast Network then you need to to check out the lockon sports 247 streaming Channel on YouTube and now available on Amazon Fire TV in the free Fire TV channels app lockon Sports is here for you 247 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local Experts of locked on plus our national shows covering every leag find locked on sports today now available on the free Fire TV channels app that’s going to do it for me today though I want to thank you all again for listening to today’s episode of Locked on Magic I want to thank all the locked on hosts around the network who gave us a load out on all the prospects and and and helped us enjoy this Prospect to paloa here on draft Tuesday but for Orlando Magic daily lockon magic this has been Philip Ros R we’ll see you again next time for another episode of lockon magic

The Orlando Magic are in a new position this year, drafting at No. 18 rather than in the Lottery. In many ways it is different. The Magic are not expecting to find a star with their pick. But in many ways, it is the same. The Magic are still looking for their kind of player and someone who can contribute in the same way they did before.

So who are these prospects? Let’s go through all the prospects the Magic might be looking at as the Draft approaches.

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