The Orlando Magic could bring in a player from snowy ranges of mountainous the Midwest to help fix their scoring struggles.
Though Jalen Suggs had a career season in 2023-24, they could stand to upgrade either backcourt position considering the team’s needs. With that said, Colorado guard KJ Simpson headlined a group of prospects that the Magic hosted for predraft workouts on Sunday, per Rookie Wire’s Cody Taylor.
The Magic hosted a predraft workout today with the following prospects:
🏀RaeQuan Battle, West Virginia
🏀Harrison Ingram, North Carolina
🏀Malevy Leons, Bradley
🏀Jamal Shead, Houston
🏀KJ Simpson, Colorado
🏀Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Memphishttps://t.co/TvtJY7qhPS— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) June 2, 2024
Simpson averaged 19.7 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 2023-24, numbers which all ranked top-three in the Pac-12. The two-time All-Pac-12 selection also shot 47.5 percent from the field and a conference-high 43.4 percent from 3.
KJ Simpson Headlines Magic’s Predraft Workouts
Simpson has also worked out for the Denver Nuggets. Here’s why that’s important.
The Magic have the No. 18 and No. 47 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have the No. 28 and No. 56 picks. Like Orlando, Denver needs a scoring boost, ranking 14th in points per game (114.9) in 2023-24. To that point, the Nuggets they could snatch Simpson up long before Orlando. Simpson’s play in 2023-24 was special. However, he’s not projected to go off the board until the late first-round at the earliest.
This is partially because he’s a 21-year-old prospect. The NBA has yet to reestablish the prep-to-pro pipeline, but teams certainly prefer to draft younger prospects. Though an experienced player could be more NBA-ready, they’re typically thought to have lower ceilings and shorter careers.
Simpson’s draft projection is also a reflection of his play prior to 2023-24 though. In his first two seasons, the California native made 39.0 percent of his field goals and 26.9 percent of his 3s. As a result, his body of work is underwhelming. When attempting to project Simpson’s future, those two years diminish confidence in his ability.
Options At No. 18
If Orlando really believes in Simpson, they could still draft him with their No. 18 pick though. In that draft range, there’ll be expectations for him to break into the rotation but not necessarily to be a key contributor. However, there are a number of scoring options that the Magic could target in the middle of the first round.
Among those players, USC guard Isaiah Collier may have the highest upside due to his age and ability. The top-ranked high school recruit in the Class of 2023, he averaged 16.3 points per game on 49.0 percent shooting from the field in 2023-24. Still, Collier needs to tighten up the screws to become a franchise point guard.
Providence guard Devin Carter, Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr., and California wing Jaylon Tyson are older prospects. All can work as Suggs’s backcourt mate whether he started at point or shooting guard. Furthermore, they’re more refined than a prospect like Collier. Among this quartet, Tyson looks like the best option.
Averaging 19.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game for the Golden Bears, Tyson’s two-way upside, consistency, and length make him a strong fit for the Magic. If they take a wing at No. 18, they can still add a guard like Simpson at No. 47.
