NBA Mock Draft: Magic Takes G League Ignite Star

The Orlando Magic could add to their young core once again this summer in the NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 9, 2024

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic are gearing for a playoff run, but there are still people within the organization who have their sights set on the future.

The NBA Draft is a little more than three months away, and the Magic are projected to have their lowest pick in years with a likely playoff run in Orlando.

Sports Illustrated's Draft Digest conjured a mock draft just before the start of March Madness coming up, and he has the Magic projected to take G League Ignite big man Izan Almansa with the No. 22 overall selection.

Aaron Doster/USA Today Sports

Almansa, who turns 19 in June, is originally from Spain, but he made the move to join G League Ignite last summer after two years in the Overtime Elite league, which produced a pair of top-five picks in 2023 with Amen and Ausar Thompson.

So far this season, the 6-10 big man is averaging 10.6 points and seven rebounds per game for G League Ignite.

Almansa has great touch close to the basket and is a solid free throw shooter. He projects to have the ability to develop a 3-point shot that's efficient enough for him to space the floor while also playing the center position.

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As a young forward, Almansa would be able to use his feel for the game along with his size to fit right into the Magic's system, and would help the team maintain their style of play that keeps everyone involved.

If Almansa were to be drafted to the Magic to help with center depth, he would need to work on his perimeter defense to get better at switching. That development would likely have him in Osceola with the G League team next season before making frequent appearances in the NBA.

Published Mar 9, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.