NBA Draft 2016: Every team’s most underrated pick ever
By Brad Rowland
Orlando Magic: Nick Anderson, No. 11 pick, 1989 NBA Draft
The most underrated pick in Orlando Magic history also happens to be the first draft pick that the franchise ever made. In 1989, the Magic were an expansion team with an uphill battle ahead, but Anderson helped the franchise establish credibility in a big way.
It has to be noted that Nick Anderson’s “claim to fame” in NBA circles stems from missing free throws in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Those miscues cost Orlando a game and, potentially, an NBA championship, and Anderson will be tied to that gaffe forever. Still, he was a highly productive player during his time in Orlando, and Anderson’s play has become even more underrated as a result.
Over 10 seasons with the Magic organization, Anderson averaged 15.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and he was a marksman from three-point range, making more than 36 percent of his attempts at an age where that was highly impressive. Teammates like Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and even Dennis Scott garnered more national love, but Anderson was a strongly above-average shooting guard in his prime and he was a big reason for Orlando’s rise in the mid-90’s.
It is understandable that Nick Anderson isn’t seen in the best light considering his very visible shortcomings at the free throw line, but he remains wildly underrated.
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