Ranking the Orlando Magic's Biggest 2015 NBA Draft Needs
No one is confusing the Orlando Magic as a top-tier Eastern Conference squad entering 2015-16.
But it's a dangerous group with a promising foundation of young weapons. The 2015 NBA draft is an opportunity for them to add more talent and take a huge step toward the playoffs.
The club's 25-57 record last season was a reflection of their youth more than anything else. There are already several gifted assets aboard, and most of Orlando's best players still aren't close to their prime years. Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon and restricted free agent Tobias Harris are each 24 years old or younger.
Under the direction of experienced new coach Scott Skiles, the Magic should be able to form a stronger identity, refine deficiencies and maximize their lofty potential. They just need a few more key pieces before firing on all cylinders.
What exactly are the biggest needs Orlando should consider and pursue in the upcoming draft?
3. Small Forward
The 3-slot is an area for the Magic to potentially address, especially if Harris doesn't return.
After a superb year that included 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, the versatile forward will likely receive some robust offer sheets from outside suitors. If the asking price is so lucrative that Orlando is unwilling to match, then the Magic may let him walk and build around Vucevic and Oladipo.
In April, general manager Rob Hennigan said he intends to match any offer for Harris, but B/R's Dan Favale cautions that approach:
"Committing tens of millions of dollars to Harris isn't a no-brainer," writes Favale. "He was the third-leading scorer on a 25-win team, and keeping him only succeeds in taking touches away from Victor Oladipo, Elfrid 'Best Hairstyle Ever' Payton and Nikola Vucevic."
If Harris is out of the picture, Orlando should strongly consider plucking a small forward in the draft. More specifically, it should target a swingman who could play both the 2 and 3. The Magic have true 2's like Oladipo and Evan Fournier, and they have solid forwards like Harris, Gordon and Maurice Harkless, but they don't have a versatile combo wing.
Two fascinating prospects stand out as prime candidates to don the pinstripes.
Topping the wish list is Duke hero Justise Winslow, who did a little bit of everything for the Blue Devils en route to their NCAA crown. He's a little raw, but he can attack the cup, defend three positions, collaborate with teammates and shoot from distance. The 6'6" forward's competitive juice and athleticism would fit beautifully in Orlando's rotation.
Winslow would be able to hit enough threes and slash enough to produce offense at the 2 or 3, and he's more than capable of defensively bottling up any type of guard or wing thrown his way.
Meanwhile, Croatian gunslinger Mario Hezonja is a risk-reward alternative if Winslow is unavailable. The 6'8" Spanish League prodigy barely sees 15 minutes per game, yet he's delivered 15 multi-triple outings in 2014-15. That gives you an idea of his shooting potential.
While Hezonja would boost Orlando's below-average three-point output (the team was bottom half in threes per game and three-point percentage), he'd also besiege the rim. He can turn the corner off screens or attack closeouts to keep defenses honest.
2. Outside Shooting Depth
This sounds a bit general, but it's a legitimate deficiency across the board. Orlando's current personnel isn't well-equipped to connect efficiently or frequently from beyond the arc.
To be fair, the Magic aren't as putrid as some of the other cellar-dwelling clubs. But Harris and Fournier were the only 25-plus minute players who shot better than 34 percent from distance. They're yearning for shooting depth to help boost the long-range production of the rotation.
It's tough to project the perimeter development of youngsters like Oladipo and Payton, but it wouldn't hurt to search for a backcourt shooter to help them out. Hezonja could help fill this need, or they could target a second-round sleeper like Florida's Michael Frazier if he falls to No. 51. Frazier shot 43 percent from downtown during his three years at Florida.
If Orlando wants to add shooting in the frontcourt, it could roll the dice on Latvian stretch 4 Kristaps Porzingis.
The 7'1" teenager is unproven in the post, but he brings a tantalizing combo of size, athleticism and silky-smooth three-point range. Porzingis shot a respectable 36 percent on triples in Spanish League and Eurocup play during 2014-15, but he's just scratching the surface of his scoring potential.
"It's his shooting mechanics which set him apart," notes Ken Hornack of Fox Sports Florida. "Blocking his shot is next to impossible because of its high release point, and he has already become dependable in catch-and-shoot situations."
Porzingis projects to be much more than a gunner in the future, but his long-range talent is a great place to start.
1. Rim Protection
The area that could drastically influence the team's bottom line and point differential is defense, especially interior stoppage. Skiles is a defense-oriented coach, so he'll take a hard look at prospects who could get the team over the hump in this department.
They may not draft based on this need, but it's a deficiency that must be addressed one way or another. Orlando's perimeter defenders didn't allow a massive number of slashers and cutters into the lane, but whenever the ball got to the middle, the Magic were toast.
Orlando yielded 53 percent shooting at the rim last season, good for sixth-worst in the Association, per NBA.com's SportVU data. Vucevic averaged a meager 0.8 blocks per 36 minutes, and Dewayne Dedmon is the only player who swatted more than two per 36 minutes.
Porzingis could help remedy this issue in the long term, as he displays tremendous shot-blocking length and agility. However, the absolute best draft asset to fortify the Magic defense is Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein.
The 7'0" center can dart from sideline to sideline like a guard, and his vertical prowess can challenge the tallest trees in the league. Cauley-Stein racked up 22 multi-block games last year and helped anchor the NCAA's most stifling defense.
"Cauley-Stein and [Vucevic] could complement each other well on defense," said Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. "Cauley-Stein could help protect the rim and defend on pick-and-roll plays, and Vucevic could do the bulk of the rebounding until Cauley-Stein adds muscle to his lanky frame."
The Magic may not draft WCS, however, even though he'd be the best cure for this ailment.
Cauley-Stein doesn't stretch the floor with shooting like Porzingis, and he's not nearly as versatile as a wing like Winslow. There's a strong possibility Orlando would go with a best-player-available angle rather than a needs-based approach. In that case, Winslow and Porzingis would have the edge.
Dan O'Brien covers the NBA draft for Bleacher Report.
Follow him on Twitter: @DanielO_BR
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