NBA Draft: 5 Players Who Could Be Available When Magic Pick at No. 18

Round 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday night. The Orlando Magic have the No. 18 overall pick.

Mar 31, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Jared McCain (0) reacts in the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the finals of the South Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at American Airline Center. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — After three straight years of picking in the NBA Draft lottery, the fruit of the Orlando Magic's labor has begun to pay off.

Orlando's first-round picks from 2021 and 2022 — Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, and Paolo Banchero — have become centerpieces for the franchise and helped lead the Magic to their best season in over a decade. Now, the Magic find themselves holding the No. 18 overall pick in a reportedly weak draft and the odds of adding an important contributor get longer.

President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman nevertheless believes that there are players who can make a difference. "This draft has been batted around a little bit, [but] I think most drafts are pretty similar if you step back and say 'How many rotation players did it yield?' 'How many starters did it yield?' Most drafts are pretty similar. You're gonna have your outliers once in a while, but I think this draft is a more typical draft. I think there are players in here, we've just got to find them."

Weltman also reduced the draft-day decision to answering this question: Which player available at the time of your draft pick will have the best NBA career?

Here are the top five players who could be around for Orlando's draft pick.

No. 5: Kyle Filipowski, Duke, 6-foot-11 center

Filipowski worked out for Orlando in the pre-draft process and could fill a sneaky need for the Magic. Backup center Goga Bitadze is set to enter free agency.

Filipowski, 20, averaged 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his sophomore season at Duke. He was a consensus All-American and twice made the All-ACC team.

The 6-foot-11 center showed growth from year one to year two at Duke, averaging more points, blocks and assists per game. His make rate on threes improved by six percentage points. Filipowski's passing skill could make him particularly intriguing, as Orlando was 15-5 in games when Bitadze or Wendell Carter Jr. had at least three assists.

No. 4: Kel'el Ware, Indiana, 7-foot center

Few centers were as productive as Ware.

The Hoosiers center had 15 double-doubles and 10 games where he scored at least 20 points. He averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and almost two blocked shots per game, landing him on the All-Big Ten team.

Ware, 20, also flashed potential as an outside shooter, making 18 of his 39 three-point attempts (42 percent).

Orlando lacks a big man who can change the game on both ends of the floor as a lob threat and shot blocker. Ware can do both.

No. 3: Carlton "Bub" Carrington, Pittsburgh, 6-foot-3 guard

Outside shooting is probably the Magic's biggest need, but not far behind it is adding a playmaker in the backcourt.

Orlando was 28th in assists per game and could use a guard who can both score and facilitate the offense. Few proved they're more capable of doing that than Pittsburgh guard Carlton "Bub" Carrington.

The 18-year-old averaged 13.8 points and 4.1 assists per game and made the ACC All-Freshman team and ACC's all-tournament team.

Carrington also worked out for the Magic in the pre-draft process.

Carrington made only 32.2 percent of more than 200 three-point attempts, but he did have nine games where he made at least three 3-pointers.

No. 2: Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor, 6-foot-4 guard

No player has been more linked more often to the Magic in mock drafts than Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter.

The 6-foot-4 guard established himself as one of the best freshmen in the country, earning the Big 12 Conference's Rookie of the Year and All-Big 12 team. Walter, who had nine games with at least 20 points, averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

Walter made 34.1 percent of his 220-plus three-point attempts. That rate would need to improve in the NBA.

No. 1: Jared McCain, Duke, 6-foot-3 guard

Perhaps no player checks the boxes for need and best player available than Duke guard Jared McCain.

Orlando's outside shooting troubles are well-documented: 23rd in 3-point percentage, last in 3-pointers made per game.

In his freshman season, McCain converted more 40 percent of his threes. He averaged 14.3 points and 1.1 steals per game and also showed flashes as a facilitator with at least three assists in nine games. His play landed him on the ACC All-Freshman team and NCAA Tournament All-Region team.

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