After enduring their ninth losing season since the 2011-2012 NBA season, the Orlando Magic are extremely intent on ending this trend in the 2022-2023 NBA season. Despite the 22-60 regular-season record, Orlando enters the offseason with plenty of optimism, largely in part to the general player development that the Magic endured. No player seemed to take a bigger jump than Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr., who fit well into Head Coach Jamahl Mosley’s scheme. Over 62 games this season, Carter Jr. averaged 15.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 2.8 APG, while shooting 52.5% from the field and 32.7% from three-point range, all career-highs. Carter Jr.’s leap has everyone believing that he can be the face of the franchise in Orlando, including Magic’s president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman.
“Wendell has already established himself this season as a top-10 center,” Weltman said during a recent appearance on FM 96.9 The Game’s Open Mike with the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi. “Wendell’s numbers reflect tremendous growth, but his game isn’t reflected by his numbers. “This is a guy who everything that he does is about winning. Tremendous young guy. His future is entirely in front of him and all he does is lift his teammates up — on the court [and] off the court.”
If Carter Jr. will truly become the face of the franchise in Orlando, then the Magic must begin to build around him through Free Agency and the NBA Draft. As it currently stands, Orlando is slated to do so, as they are tied with Houston (20-62) and Detroit (23-59) with the best odds (14%) to have the No. 1 overall pick. In addition to this, Orlando also has a 13.4% chance for the No. 2 pick, and a 12.7% chance for the No. 3 pick, according to Tankathon. Despite these odds, the draft lottery could certainly backfire on the Magic, as they may fall down to the No. 5 (27.8%) or No. 6 (20.0%) pick. For the sake of this mock draft, Orlando will hold the No. 2 overall selection, due to the NBA’s regular-season standings, but will use these draft selections to build around Carter Jr. for the future.
Round 1, Pick 2: Chet Holmgren, PF/C, University of Gonzaga
Over the last 20 years, the NBA has seen its share of very uniquely built draft prospects. Of all the unique former draft prospects, Holmgren trumps them all, as a 7’0″, 195-pound unicorn. Holmgren’s unheard-of height gives the Gonzaga standout an incredible defensive presence, which is fueled by his 7’6″ wingspan. Holmgren’s success in defending the paint has made him one of the premier defensive players in this draft class, as he led the West Coast Conference (WCC) in total rebounds (317), defensive rebounds (260), and blocks (117). In addition to this, Holmgren is very disciplined when it comes to grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. This is why Holmgren also led the WCC in defensive rebound percentage (28.7%) and block percentage (12.6%). Finally, Holmgren’s great lateral quickness and fluid footwork allow him to successfully defend guards out on the perimeter, where he can contest and block field goal attempts.
It’s worth noting that Holmgren isn’t just great at defense, but also with scoring the ball. In 32 games this season, Holmgren averaged 14.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG (1.8 ORPG), and 1.9 APG while shooting 60.7% from the field, 39.0% from three-point range, and 71.7% from the free-throw line. Even though his PPG averages may seem modest, Holmgren was as efficient as any player in the country, leading the nation in two-point field goal percentage (73.7%) and effective field goal percentage (68.0%) while finishing second in true shooting percentage (69.1%). To no one’s surprise, Holmgren’s collegiate success as a 19-year-old made him a consensus All-American and the 2021-2022 WCC Rookie and Defensive of the Year award winner. Holmgren will obviously need to put substantial weight on before playing in the NBA, but his talent is certainly unquestionable, and would pair nicely with Carter Jr. in the frontcourt.
Round 2, Pick 32: SG Christian Braun, University of Kansas
With longtime Magic reserve Terrence Ross set to hit free agency in 2023, Orlando should be searching for his replacement. If Orlando wants to draft Ross’ replacement, then look no further than Kansas’ Braun, who has certainly looked the part of a solid role player on the wing at the NBA level. In 39 games this season, Braun averaged 14.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 0.8 BPG, all of which were career-highs for the three-year guard. Braun has certainly provided Kansas with reliable and consistent shooting from the perimeter. Of all Jayhawks who have played in at least 34 games this season, Braun is fourth on the team in field goal percentage (49.8%) and three-point percentage (38.9%), even while taking the second most shot attempts on the team. Braun’s offensive consistency can’t be understated, as Kansas has relied heavily on Braun when future first-round pick Ochai Agbaji struggled.
While Braun may not have as strong of a defensive game as the top draft prospects do, Braun offers something that may even be more important; health and experience. Unlike Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, or Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Braun has played in three collegiate seasons for Kansas, rather than leaving after one season. Even though there have been plenty of great NBA players that were one-and-done prospects in college, Braun is a clear example of a player that improved after every season. As Braun continued to learn head coach Bill Self’s schemes, he became more confident, and thus improved overall. To add to this, Braun hasn’t suffered any injuries while at Kansas, and has played in at least 30 games or more in all three collegiate seasons. Standing at 6’6″ and 218 pounds, the 21-year-old Braun would be a safe but intriguing selection for the Magic
Round 2, Pick 35: SF Justin Lewis, University of Marquette
In college basketball, it’s quite common to see players elevate their game to an entirely new level after receiving much more playing time and acclimating to their team’s schemes. This proved to be true for Marquette’s Lewis, who broke out in his second season as a golden eagle. Compared to averaging 7.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 0.8 APG in 21 games last season, Lewis averaged a much more impressive 16.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 32 games this season. Lewis has also experienced noticeable improvements as a shooter, going 44.0% from the field, 34.9% from three-point range, and 76.1% from the charity stripe, compared to his shooting splits of 41/21/57 from the previous season. With a statistical improvement like that, it should come as no shock that Lewis was the 2021-2022 Big East’s Most Improved Player Award Winner, and was even named to the All Big-East Team.
As it currently stands, Lewis is a solid frontcourt player who can score in a multitude of ways. Fortunately, Lewis’ size and defensive tools give him great potential as a three-&-D wing. To finish third in the Big East in defensive rebound percentage (21.6%) while leading Marquette is no small feat, but being 6’7″ and 245 pounds has its perks. Of course, Lewis will need to work on correcting some mistakes in his game, mainly foul trouble and turnovers. This past season, Lewis did average 1.9 TPG and 2.2 FPG, and a reckless style of play in the NBA typically doesn’t bode well. Despite this, Lewis is still young for a prospect, at just 21 years old, so teams like Orlando will be able to continue to develop him into a great frontcourt player and be able to minimize these mistakes.