Magic big board: Who should they target in draft at No. 11?

Jan 18, 2024

The 2023 NBA draft is slowly approaching, meaning the Orlando Magic will soon be put on the clock to make their picks.

Since the draft isn't until June 22, Orlando still has time to interview prospects, host workouts and use those meetings to gather intel and finalize its draft board.

With the Magic having the Nos. 6, 11 and 36 selections, they’ll have to wait to see who's available.

Magic 2023 NBA draft big board: Who should Orlando target with the No. 6 pick?

By the time the Magic are on the clock with their second first-round pick, Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller, Amen and Ausar Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Anthony Black, Taylor Hendricks and Jarace Walker likely will be off the table.

But there will still be plenty of good options for Orlando toward the back of the lottery.

Here are the top eight prospects, listed in order, the Magic should consider drafting at No. 11:

8 players the Magic should target with their first-round draft picks

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 187 pounds | Age: 19 | Wingspan: 6-foot-8

2022-23 averages: 14 points (48.2% shooting from the field — 54.6% on 2s, 35.5% on 3s), 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals.

The buzz: Bufkin brings a lot of offensive versatility. He does well operating as a pick-and-roll ballhandler and makes the right reads out of that action. Bufkin is a good driver who's a strong finisher at the rim. He plays through contact well and has great touch near the basket. Bufkin's a scoring threat on pull-ups and catch-and-shoot from beyond the arc. He's a solid defender who has quick hands, provides good on-ball pressure defensively and is a savvy off-ball defender, too. He's strong, long and quick enough to defend either guard position. Bufkin can improve with creating his own shot without using a screen.

Height: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 205 pounds | Age: 19 | Wingspan: 6-foot-9

2022-23 averages: 14.1 points (44.2% shooting — 48.4% on 2s, 40.3% on 3s) and 5.1 rebounds.

The Buzz: Dick could be considered the best shooting prospect in this draft class. He's an excellent catch-and-shoot threat with a quick and high release. Dick does more than just spot-up — he's effective off the dribble on pull-ups or even drives when defenders close out too hard. He's more than just a shooter — he's a good playmaker/passer who knows how to take advantage of defenders jumping out to him. Dick also is a good cutter and off-ball mover. He's an energetic defender with active hands, though he struggles to defend isolations or pick-and-rolls. Dick has a lot of areas of improvement on defense. He isn't a consistent 1-on-1/self-creating scoring threat and can improve his finishing and drives.

Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 195 pounds | Age: 19 | Wingspan: 6-foot-8

2022-23 averages: 11.7 points (44.6% shooting — 51.4% on 2s, 34.6% on 3s), 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Buzz: Wallace was a very disruptive defender in college and has the potential to be elite there in the NBA. He's strong, long, quick, tough and has active hands. Wallace makes the right off-ball defensive plays. Offensively, he projects to be a solid catch-and-shoot threat who can reliably pull up from midrange or floaters when he gets a defender on his back. It isn't known how much of a pull-up threat he’ll be from beyond the arc. He runs a pick-and-roll well, knowing when to make the right, accurate pass or get all the way to the rim, where he's a good finisher. Creating scoring in isolation is an area of improvement for him.

Height: 6-foot-8 | Weight: 215 pounds | Age: 19

2022-23 averages: 14.2 points (41.4% shooting — 49.6% on 2s, 36.8% on 3s), 2.8 rebounds and 2 assists.

The Buzz: Howard is a high-level shooter who's effective in shooting off the catch and on pull-ups from beyond the arc. He's comfortable shooting off movement, taking pull-up 2s and driving inside the arc for floaters. Howard can run pick-and-rolls well within the flow of an offense and is a solid passer/playmaker. He needs to improve in multiple areas defensively, especially when guarding 1-on-1. But he gives effort and has the tools to be solid. He isn't the most athletic player.

Height: 6-foot-5 | Weight: 185 pounds | Age: 21 | Wingspan: 6-foot-8 3/4

2022-23 averages: 16.2 points (40.9% shooting — 44.5% on 2s, 38.8% on 3s), 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

The Buzz: Hawkins is one of the best shooters in this draft class. He has a quick release and is an excellent catch-and-shoot and movement shooting threat. Hawkins can knock down a midrange pull-up when being trailed or pressured from behind coming off screens but struggles with finishing when he gets all the way to the rim. Creating his own shot from a standstill is an area of improvement. So is his passing and creating plays for others. He has good size and length for his position, helping him be a reliable 1-on-1 defender, but will need to get stronger to guard bigger guards/forwards.

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 205 pounds | Age: 19

2022-23 averages: 15.3 points (37.6% shooting — 42.4% on 2s, 33.8% on 3s), 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals.

The Buzz: George thrives with creating scoring opportunities for himself. He's a significant pull-up threat in isolations and pick-and-rolls as the ballhandler. George is effective in shooting off the catch even though he had a down shooting season with Baylor. He runs pick-and-rolls well against different coverages, though his decision-making is an area of improvement. George, who finishes at the rim well, plays through contact and does a good job of drawing fouls on drives to the rim (4.5 free throw attempts per game). Defending 1-on-1 is one of multiple defensive areas where he needs to get better.

Height: 7-foot-1 | Weight: 230 | Age: 19

2022-23 averages: 5.2 points (65.8% shooting — 72.1% on 2s), 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 assists.

The Buzz: Lively used his size and athleticism to become an elite defender for the Blue Devils. He's versatile, able to deter shots at the rim without blocking them by using verticality and playing in various defensive schemes. He’ll need to reduce his foul rate. He's primarily a lob threat as a pro, but he's a capable passer. There's optimism he can become a respectable shooting threat from beyond the arc because of his touch. He didn't create a lot of his own offense.

Height: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 230 pounds | Age: 18 | Wingspan: 6-foot-7

2022-23 averages: 5 points (53.2% shooting — 51.7% on 2s, 45.2% on 3s) and 3.1 rebounds.

The Buzz: Coulibaly is an athletic, lanky wing who should be a scoring threat in transition from Day One. His burst helps make him a good cutter. He's a tenacious defender, using his size and length well to contain ballhandlers 1-on-1 against multiple positions, force turnovers on and off the ball and disrupt shots. Coulibaly is a good driver/finisher at the rim, but didn't display significant creativity in how he got into the paint. Even though he shot a good percentage, he has a lot of progress to make as a jump shooter.

Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.

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