NBA Draft Lottery 2017: Who each team should take with the No. 1 pick
By John Buhler
Orlando Magic: Markelle Fultz, point guard, Washington Huskies (8.8 percent)
The Orlando Magic might have made a huge mistake in trading up for point guard Elfrid Payton in the 2014 NBA Draft. Not only is Dario Saric now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, but Payton has not shown that he can elevate to being a playoff-caliber starting point guard.
With presumably a new general manager coming at some point, look for the Magic front office to get head coach Frank Vogel a new franchise point guard to work with. Fortunately, the point guard class in this draft is loaded. Orlando also has the fifth-best odds to have the No. 1 overall pick at 8.8 percent.
While the Magic could still get a solid point guard of the De’Aaron Fox or Dennis Smith Jr. variety if the ping-pong balls cooperate and give them the No. 5 overall pick, there is one guy that would be an excellent reach pick for them should they get a crack at No. 1: Washington Huskies point guard Markelle Fultz.
Tabbed as a point guard of the Kyrie Irving prototype, Fultz can be that reliable ball holder that Vogel will need to get this offense out of the Eastern Conference basement. Fultz can not only create his own shot off the dribble, but could give the Magic a batter facilitator to feed the Orlando players out on the wing or down in the low post.
We have to expect that Orlando goes point guard, as the Magic are one of the very few teams in the league that isn’t strong at that position group. The Magic still have a myriad of problems from their semi-thought out roster construction, but getting Fultz at No. 1 could magically make them feel better about the state of their basketball team.