NBA Draft History: Previous No. 18 Pick a Blueprint for Magic?

The Miami Heat drafted an immediate contributor when they took Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the No. 18 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. Should the Orlando Magic aim for a similar player with their first-round pick?

Feb 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) holds off Orlando Magic guard Joe Ingles / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — For the first time since 2020, the Orlando Magic's first-round position in the NBA Draft was known before the lottery took place.

With Orlando going 47-35 and earning the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Magic landed the No. 18 overall pick in the first round and No. 47 in the second round. While picking outside of the lottery is further proof of the Magic's success this season, the later first-round selection also makes landing a top prospect in what's touted as a weak draft class more difficult.

In the 21st century, the No. 18 overall pick has produced few good players:

• Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green, No. 18 in 2020 is a solid role player.
• Magic center Goga Bitadze, drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2019, has shown flashes when he's gotten consistent playing time.
• Eric Bledsoe has an argument for being the best player made with that pick in the 2010s after making the All-Rookie team and and twice being named All-Defense.

The last All-Star taken with the No. 18 overall pick was power forward David West, who was drafted in 2003.

The most recent player to be taken at 18 might provide a reason for optimism. In 2023, the Miami Heat took forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and he averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 75 games, 20 of which he started. Jaquez Jr. started all four playoff games he played in and averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Jaquez Jr., 23, played four seasons for the UCLA Bruins. He started every game in his final three years, made the All-Pac-12 Team three times, and averaged 13.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists across his collegiate career. He was the Pac-12 Player of the Year in his senior season in 2022-23 after he averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Jaquez Jr.'s college experience paid dividends in preparing him to contribute immediately to a playoff team. Finding a player of a similar mold could be the best path for Orlando if it's looking for a player who can play right away.

The last time the Magic took a player who played multiple years collegiately was Franz Wagner in 2021, when he came out of Michigan after two seasons. In 2019, Orlando took Chuma Okeke out of Auburn with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round after he played there for two years.

At No. 18, multiple experienced players could be at the Magic's disposal. Providence guard Devin Carter, 22, played three seasons in college and is ranked No. 13 on The Ringer's big board and was taken by Orlando in Bleacher Report's mock draft.

Colorado 6-foot-9 forward Tristan Da Silva, 23, played four seasons in college and made 38.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. Orlando drafted Da Silva in ESPN's latest mock draft and is No. 19 on The Ringer's big board.

If Orlando looks for a center in the draft, two-time Naismith Men's College Player of the Year award winner Zach Edey, 22, was a three-year starter at Purdue and is the No. 22 prospect for The Ringer. Indiana's Kel'el Ware, 20, played two seasons in college and averaged 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds as a sophomore. The Ronger ranks Ware ranks No. 20

Orlando could look to package the No. 18 overall pick in a trade for a proven player, but given the broader view that this is a weak draft class, how valuable is a No. 18 pick? If the Magic make the pick, they would be wise to aim for players with more than one year of experience collegiately.

The NBA Draft is on June 26-27.

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