Did Magic Make Mistake Passing Up on 'Next Rashard Lewis'?

Rashard Lewis played in parts of four seasons for the Orlando Magic and made two All-Star teams. But did the Magic make a mistake passing up on his clone from the draft?

Jeremy Brener | Sep 27, 2022

Did Magic Make Mistake Passing Up on 'Next Rashard Lewis'? /

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The Orlando Magic is rolling with Paolo Banchero after making him the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft this summer.

And with training camp now here, fans and analysts will soon begin to figure out if the Magic made the right decision drafting Banchero over Auburn big man Jabari Smith Jr., who many believed would be the top overall pick.

Marquis Daniels, who went to high school in the Orlando area, played 10 years in the NBA. Now, he works as an assistant coach for the Auburn Tigers, and he had a pretty lofty NBA comparison for Smith ... a former NBA All-Star familiar with the Magic.

"I saw him as an athletic Rashard Lewis," Daniels said during his exclusive interview with Inside the Rockets. "Rashard had that high release and shot the ball well. I see Jabari the same way, if you put someone too small on him, he can shoot right over the top of them."

Lewis played parts of four seasons with the Magic from 2007-10, averaging 16.3 points per game. He made two All-Star teams in his career, one with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2005 and the other with the Magic in 2009, the same year the team made the NBA Finals.

If Smith can reach those comparisons for the Houston Rockets, it will be a solid pickup. But the Magic feel confident in its Banchero pick and is happy with the way it turned out for now.

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Published Sep 27, 2022

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.