The Orlando Magic, owners of the Nos. 1, 32 and 35 picks in the NBA draft, will have multiple chances to add to their roster on June 23.
After kicking off a rebuild in March 2021, the Magic already have significant young talent. Orlando has nine players who were drafted in the first round since 2017 signed to contracts for the 2022-23 season.
Nonetheless, the Magic have clear needs after finishing 2021-22 with a 22-60 record.
As the roster stands, Orlando needs a 3-and-D wing/forward — with an emphasis on reliable 3-point shooting — who has good size and length for their position. The Magic also could use another big/center, depending on what happens with Mo Bamba’s restricted free agency.
After taking a step forward in their pre-draft evaluations during the mid-May NBA draft combine in Chicago, the Magic are hosting prospects for workouts ahead of the draft.
This story is part of a series on players the Magic either interviewed or worked out in Orlando:
TyTy Washington Jr. (Kentucky)
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 196 pounds | Age: 20 | Wingspan: 6-foot-8
2021-22 averages: 12.5 points (45.1% from the field — 49.6% on 2s, 35% on 3s), 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Connection: NBA draft combine interviewee
Note: Teams are allowed to interview a maximum of 20 players at the combine and each player is allowed to interview with a maximum of 13 teams, according to a league spokesperson. The league decides which team speaks to the players. Just because a team didn’t interview a prospect during the combine doesn’t mean they’re not interested or won’t pick the player.
The buzz: A former 5-star out of Phoenix in the 2021 recruiting class, Washington is one of the top guard prospects in this year’s draft. Washington was named second-team All Southeastern Conference in his lone year with the Wildcats. He also was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. His 17 assists in a Jan. 8 win over Georgia surpassed John Wall’s 16 for Kentucky’s single-game assists record.
Scouting report: Combo guard who’s proficient in the pick-and-roll, one of the most common actions for an NBA guard. Plays with a good pace on the ball. Doesn’t turn the ball over a lot. Skilled passer who spreads the ball around in a variety of ways — pocket passes out of the pick-and-roll, finding open shooters in the corner, alley-oops and hit-aheads in transition. As a scorer, excels with floaters and mid-range pull-ups. Good spot-up shooter on 3s and showed flashes of movement shooting. Had glimpses of growth with pull-up/step-back shooting from beyond the arc.
Not very quick or shifty, so he needs a screen to create separation from his defender. Defenders going under on screens could neutralize his scoring effectiveness. Needs to be more reliable hitting 3s off the dribble to open scoring/driving lanes. Also struggles with quickness/staying in front of his man defensively. Needs to improve with finishing at the rim, especially over length. Will settle for floaters if there’s a rim-protecting threat.
Fit: The Magic are loaded with young guards (Cole Anthony, Devin Cannady, Markelle Fultz, R.J. Hampton and Jalen Suggs). Washington could have a hard time getting playing time if he was in Orlando despite how steady he is as a ballhandler. He’s expected to be drafted in the mid-to-late first round.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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