Although the NBA Draft doesn’t start until July 29th, a few teams have already started scouting key prospects with individual workouts. One of those teams is the Orlando Magic, who have held private workouts for forwards Corey Kispert and Scottie Barnes. The Magic have needed frontcourt depth. Of course, Orlando was without Jonathan Isaac, due to an ACL tear, but the group still lacked production, both offensively and defensively. This is where Kispert and Barnes come into play for Orlando. Kispert and his gifted offensive game can quickly help Orlando’s sluggish offense, which ranked second-to-last in the NBA. As for Barnes, he’d provide great defense and off-ball movement, with the ability to guard most guards and wings. If the Magic play their cards right, they can walk out of the 2021 NBA Draft with both Kispert and Barnes on their roster.
Corey Kispert, SF, Gonzaga
While Kispert is a versatile two-way forward that thrives in most situations, his superb shooting has been the reason for his recent rise up draft boards. During his four years at Gonzaga, Kispert hit on 48.3% of his field-goal attempts, along with 40.8% from downtown. Kispert’s final season was his most productive offensively, notching career-highs in points (18.6), rebounds (5.0), field goal percentage (52.9%), three-point percentage (44.0%), and free throw percentage (87.8%). While Kispert is an amazing shooter, he believes he can be more than just a spot-up shooter in the NBA.
“I’m way more than just a shooter,” Kispert said. “That’s kind of my moniker. That’s what people label me as, but I can do a ton more than that. It’s my greatest weapon, sure, but I can do way more on the floor. I’m much more athletic – bigger, stronger, faster – than people give me credit for, and I think once I step in a gym with people or they see me live, they’ll be able to see that.”
Kispert got the opportunity to prove his statement at the NBA Draft Combine and did just that. Measuring at 6’7″ and 220 pounds, Kispert still ran a 2.99-second shuttle run, which was the second-best time among all participants. Kispert also showed major improvements toward his defensive game, where he averaged 4.0 DRPG (Defensive Rebounds), 1.1 SPG, and 0.5 BPG. Finally, Kispert has continued to shine under pressure at Gonzaga. While leading the Zags to an absurd 31 wins and to the NCAA National Championship, Kispert continued to come up big for Gonzaga with big-time shots. So, while it’s quite likely that Kispert will boast a 50/40/90 shooting slash, his constant improvement on his all-around game has led to Kispert being dubbed as a consensus “top-ten selection”.
Scottie Barnes, SF, Flordia State
If Kispert is the best shooter in the draft class, would that make Barnes the best defender? Well, there’s certainly an argument for the one-and-done Florida State standout. In just 24 games with the Seminoles, Barnes notched 61 defensive rebounds (fifth on the team), 35 steals (first on the team), and 11 blocks (fourth on the team). Barnes also finished ninth in the ACC in defensive box plus/minus (3.6) and twelfth in defensive rating (98.3). Even though Barnes’ biggest strength is his defense, it doesn’t mean his offense hasn’t been on the rise either. While his averages of 10.3 PPG and 4.1 APG aren’t too impressive, his totals can be looked at as a positive for a defensive specialist like Barnes. Barnes finished third in points and led the Seminoles in total assists with 248 points and 98 assists. Barnes also plans to bring plenty of energy to Orlando.
“Some qualities and characteristics I bring to the table are having that energy, having a lot of joy, bringing my defensive instincts, being able to play make, having that IQ on the floor, seeing different things, coming off pick-and-rolls, and being able to bring defensive pressure,” Barnes said.
Even with his valuable defensive versatility, Barnes still has his share of weaknesses. One of those is his shooting, as he shot 27.5% from three-point range, but Barnes can quickly improve on that. The Magic’s 2020 first-round pick Cole Anthony was very inefficient on his three-point shooting, going 34.8% on 6.4 attempts per game. Anthony was able to turn his insufficient shooting around in Orlando, going 33.7% on a more efficient 3.7 attempts per game. As long as Orlando can draft a sharpshooter like Kispert to pair with Barnes, his shooting won’t be much of a problem for the Magic.