2023 NBA Draft Day Thread

[J Roc Baby 24]

I'm really "meh" about what we did. The Magic really needed to move into the top 3. I know they won the lottery 2 years ago but their luck is otherwise disastrous save for a once in a lifetime upset back in 1993

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

26 minutes ago, Luke_FfS said:

BUT.. those are the minutes played by fringe rotation guys last season:

Bol     1505
Okeke    518
Schofield    451
K. Harris    457

(Mo 1109, but mostly at C)

 

Don't forget: 

RJ Hampton - 361 

Terrence Ross - 944

But it's a great point. A whole lot of minutes last season were taken up by guys who either aren't here anymore or are guys who haven't proven they deserve minutes.

 

[ball junkie 277]

12 minutes ago, Shine88 said:

Black had an 40' inch vertical at the combine

There aren't many boxes he leaves unchecked, but the exceptions are worrisome. He can't shoot, and he isn't super shifty as a ball-handler. If he isn't a shooting threat and can't beat defenders off the bounce, how is he going to run an NBA offense? For someone with so many winning traits, his lowest-end outcome looks rough.

[jmmagicfan 302]

10 minutes ago, TreyMachine said:

EP was a great one on one defender as he routinely averaged 1.5+ steals per game and about half a block per game. 

Payton also had a great BBIQ, so not sure where that's coming from. There's a reason he averaged almost 7 assists per game with us and was named All-Rookie 1st Team. He to this day still has the most Triple Doubles in Magic history with 8. Hardaway and McGrady only ever had two each. 

I'll give you this: EP averaged an abysmal sub 60% FT shooting for most of his career, starting. Anthony Black in his one season in college averaged 70% on the line. Other than that, shoot % on 2% and 3% were relatively the same during college for both of them. So maybe with the FT% there's a glimmer of hope he'll maybe get better. 

EP was not a great one on one defender - he routinely got passed by every other PG in the league - his steals usually came from him reaching as guys went by him. That kind of matador defense is part of why he is not in anyone's rotation. He has good athleticism, but lousy focus - you never knew if you were going to get that dialed in EP who was going to get you a triple double, or the guy who would let a third-string PG outplay him. His best play was going to the bucket and passing to the open guy, as he had the height and vision to make that pass. Unfortunately, he didn't always go hard to finish, so teams started playing him to pass, and made that move less effective as time went on. As for making the All-Rookie 1st Team, Michael Carter-Williams was Rookie of the Year, and at least he consistently plays defense, which EP did not.

 

[Luke_FfS 248]

9 minutes ago, CTMagicUK said:

Don't forget: 

RJ Hampton - 361 

Terrence Ross - 944

But it's a great point. A whole lot of minutes last season were taken up by guys who either aren't here anymore or are guys who haven't proven they deserve minutes.

 

You're right, I forgot them cause I checked the actual page stats and clearly they're not on our team. Bamba also played other minutes at C.

I'm worried too by too many young players, but at the same time, if FO still wants to build that way for that season, it's not like we immediately have to trade (or choose) between Cole and Suggs or others. We're not a finished product by any mean, so everyone will have to work hard on summer and training camp to earn all those minutes that aren't really a given. And as we just see, there're quite a few available.

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

On Black also, anyone who actually watched Arkansas this year would know that that was such a bad context for everything he does well. The guy expected to be their best shooter was injured or dealing with injuries the whole year. And the rest of the team were below average shooters. Of the guys who played more than 500 minutes for them Black was actually their second best 3 point shooter. The paint was always packed. 

Watch an Arkansas game and count the sheer number of times Black makes the right read to an open perimeter player and they either brick the shot or flat out don't shoot the ball. 

With the much better spacing of the NBA I think he gets to the rim easier and with the much better weapons of an NBA team I think he gets way more assists in a similar role. 

[Luke_FfS 248]

1 minute ago, CTMagicUK said:

On Black also, anyone who actually watched Arkansas this year would know that that was such a bad context for everything he does well. The guy expected to be their best shooter was injured or dealing with injuries the whole year. And the rest of the team were below average shooters. Of the guys who played more than 500 minutes for them Black was actually their second best 3 point shooter. The paint was always packed.

PERFECT FIT FOR US!!! LOL

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

2 minutes ago, Luke_FfS said:

PERFECT FIT FOR US!!! LOL

Lol ok I walked into that one.

 

[TreyMachine 398]

5 minutes ago, CTMagicUK said:

On Black also, anyone who actually watched Arkansas this year would know that that was such a bad context for everything he does well. The guy expected to be their best shooter was injured or dealing with injuries the whole year. And the rest of the team were below average shooters. Of the guys who played more than 500 minutes for them Black was actually their second best 3 point shooter. The paint was always packed. 

Watch an Arkansas game and count the sheer number of times Black makes the right read to an open perimeter player and they either brick the shot or flat out don't shoot the ball. 

With the much better spacing of the NBA I think he gets to the rim easier and with the much better weapons of an NBA team I think he gets way more assists in a similar role. 

I admittedly have not watched game tape of him outside of the highlights, so I'll take your word for it, CT. What happens in a game matters a lot more than just what the stats are at the end of the day - case in point, the guys who argue that Cole Anthony is a better starting point guard than Markelle Fultz.

I again have been proven wrong two years in a row with the pics we have made, so this management has my trust until proven otherwise.

[Natesroom 197]

1 hour ago, ball junkie said:

The Magic arguably entered the night with more point guards than they needed, and they added another here. I actually like that, since it shows Orlando felt Black was the best player available and valued that more than anything. That's the smart move for any rebuilder to make.

Black arrives in the Association with an advanced understanding of the game of basketball. Fortune-tellers don't pick up on things as quickly as he can. And he's not just a step ahead of the defense, he's also often a few inches taller as a 6'7" floor general. That means he can already read and see the floor better than most. His playmaking will make him a quick favorite in the locker room.

There aren't many boxes he leaves unchecked, but the exceptions are worrisome. He can't shoot, and he isn't super shifty as a ball-handler. If he isn't a shooting threat and can't beat defenders off the bounce, how is he going to run an NBA offense? For someone with so many winning traits, his lowest-end outcome looks rough.

Still, his combination of size, smarts and skill is enough reason to buy in. Orlando will have to clear out its backcourt congestion at some point, but that's because Black might already be the best of the bunch.
 

Zac Buckley of BR 

Im not as upset at the Ant Black pick, cause its a crapshoot from 6-11, but i am super disappointed at the 11th pick. With Gradey Dick still on the board, we chose a .301 3 pt shooter at 6 and then at 11 we choose a 36% 3pt shooter - if we were drafting for shooting we could have just taken Dick. 

I think he will be a fine shooter as his FT was 80% but still.

[Jay Magic 1,244]

Part 1

[Luke_FfS 248]

3 minutes ago, CTMagicUK said:

Lol ok I walked into that one.

 

Jokes apart, for what you described he already had to operate in a worst case scenario, so he could be more ready than others for that. And our core is so young that we MUST improve 3p% internally, even if we don't draft or trade for that a lot.