In keeping with the Orlando Magic’s draft lottery history, nothing is easier than during the scouting process that ends with the NBA Draft in New York.
But when it is taken into account what lies ahead for them, behind the magic lies the easy part.
Orlando gave the Magic complete control by landing the No. 1 pick in the June 23 draft. Now the pressure is on them – which they welcome – to make sure they pick the right players.
“We have more work to do,” General Manager John Hammond Said on In the Zone with Brandon Kravitz, “The evaluation of looking at these people a little bit more thoroughly, a little more concisely. The most important thing is to actually spend time with them, to get to know them, to run them off batteries, and to find out all that we can do. There’s a chance to put up.”
The Magic will begin hosting workouts at its facility for prospects over the next few weeks, giving them a more in-depth assessment than they did during the Draft Combine in Chicago—where many of the top prospects didn’t participate. Scrimmage, on-court practice or measurement.
Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Auburn’s Jabari Smith are considered the top players in the draft.
Hammond reiterated that Orlando will pick the player the Magic believe will be best in the long run, not just who fits better for next year’s team.
“You hate to be so cliche 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 it.” ,” said Hammond. He said, ‘We cannot sacrifice a lesser player just because we need it. I don’t think any need can be so big.”
But will the magic depend on their roster to evaluate those?
Wendell Carter Jr. (Duke), Chuma Okeke (Auburn) and Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga) all went to college, where one of the top prospects did, though none of them did at the same time as the Magic players are considering. .
,[Wendell] Maybe Paolo knows, to some degree, maybe from the Duke connection,” Hammond said. “I don’t know if Chuma has a really strong relationship with Jabari. Interestingly, Jalen Suggs and Chet are close. If we were going to consult with one situation after another, this would be it.”
The Magic also have number 32 and 35 picks in the second round.
He spoke with a number of players during last week’s conjunctions, who may have been available if they were on the board with one of those second-round picks.
Orlando will bring prospects it believes may be available for workouts to a range of second-round selections.
“It’s like the dating process — you don’t know who that person is until you actually live with them,” Hammond said. “That’s when you make a full commitment. We need to get to know them as best we can.”
This article first appeared on orlandosentinel.com, email at cost [email protected] or follow him on twitter @khobi_price,
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