2025 NBA Draft Thread 2.0

[MartinsIzAfraud]

Panda will spend the year in G League id imagine and get called up if/when injuries happen.

[JoshuaPotter]

Well this concludes yet another perplexing draft. At least this time, leading up to it and during it we made moves. So with that, I am sort content. We traded away several 2nd rounders to "get someone" when we likely would have turned them into "cash considerations" anymore. So, fair enough.

They have to. Due salary restrictions and how much money is tied into 3, soon to be 4 players, they no longer can sleep through second round of a draft and pass on late first round picks and treat them like garbage. In upcoming years, 1/3rd of a roster will be made out of "garbage" picks.

Yeah that is what I am basically acknowledging. Even so, we traded future assets to get the current asset. For whatever that is worth. We made win now moves. Last time we did a win now move. We traded away the wrong pieces in my humble opinion. In the present position we have "gotten our guys" but kept a lot of the lineup the same too. Or at least those we moved I did not consider them integral to winning.

[FM6]

Seems like he is "only" a 3pointshot away from becoming a potential high level roleplayer. I'm absolutely OK gambling that a young player improves his shooting in the 2nd round when he checks so many other boxes.
Is it super likely? No, history and especially Magic history says no but it's a 2nd round pick.

He again shows that the long athlete stuff is fan fiction. Weltman drafted mainly bad to good athletes but almost never really good athletes.
This team is sneaky unathletic and he didn't address that again. The TDS pick looks worse now. He seems to become the better version of the Weltman special of drafting bad athletes who arent skilled enough to compensate the lack of athletism like Chuma and Jett.
I really like high iq, highly skilled non athletes but his tries are just not skilled enough so far.

In a vacuum I like both picks and both more than TDS but the roster composition is still a mess and the draft doesn't really helped.

It's not "just 3 point shot" it's pretty much entire jumpshot ability away.
Euro 3 point line is nba deep mid range. So he can't really pull up from any deeper range, if you consider sub 30% from deep mid range.

While these are two different levels of talent, I still find the following as encouraging... Wembanyama, in the same French league, shot an abysmal 27% from 3 on five apg. The previous season, his sophomore season in the French league, he shot 26% on three attempts per game and only averaged 9.4 ppg. He was able to up his 3 percentage to 32% in his NBA rookie season and 35% this past season.

Penda shot 30% on three attempts per game from 3 as a rookie in that French league and averaged 10 ppg. He also shot 36.6% on catch and shoot from 3. I think he'll be able to improve his shot enough to at least be serviceable from there, which is enough for him at pf on this team.

[basketballRob]

Both guys are being introduced to the media here at 12:30 pm today.

What are the odds that they have technical difficulties?

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[drsd]

If one follows the media reports of Weltman, the Magic was planning on Richardson at #16 and Penda at #25. Well: if true, one kind of has to call the draft successful; right?

[yoyojw17]

If one follows the media reports of Weltman, the Magic was planning on Richardson at #16 and Penda at #25. Well: if true, one kind of has to call the draft successful; right?

Getting exactly what you wanted at a lower price ...Sounds like a win!!

I know everyone has their view points.... Shooting.... Positional availability...etc. But I think they addressed a lot of what is important to them..... And with Jase and Noah.... Passing and High BBall IQ and feel for the game were huge factors for the FO.

Ball movement and player movement were things that **** out offense in the foot. Adding these two already low usage highly efficient/impactful players could be a smart move!

[VFX]

Personally I give the draft a B+

Jase Richardson - A+ - Not my favorite player in the draft, but he fills a significant need and provides a severely lacking skillset. At #25 he is a no-brainer pick due to his efficiency and potential. There weren’t other options on the board more deserving over him to be honest. He was mocked much higher by a lot of reputable people.

Noah Penda - C+ - I liked that Weltman was aggressive in moving up to take his guy by packaging picks to ensure he was going to be on the roster. I just disagree with who he chose. There were other options that made more sense, could earn minutes, and gave insurance to hash out roster decisions. This is a 2-4 year investment and Orlando has needs currently. I don’t think you go with upside here this late in the draft if you have needs, are competing, and older players on rookie scale contracts can fill those easily at a reasonably low cost.

[VFX]

If one follows the media reports of Weltman, the Magic was planning on Richardson at #16 and Penda at #25. Well: if true, one kind of has to call the draft successful; right?

That would be absolutely insane if true.

Then again… they did reach massively for Jett.

[KillMonger]

Weltman a bit standoffish when moe and Caleb was mentioned.... Hmmmm

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[Magic_Johnny12]

Weltman a bit standoffish when moe and Caleb was mentioned.... Hmmmm

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I mean declining their options are almost inevitable and there’s a real chance they’re not back so he almost has to be careful with what he says (I’m sure he has already spoken to both players representation and they’re probably both going to test the market which they have all the right to do) but this shouldn’t stop the Magic from pursuing free agents and making the team better.

It’s business at the end of the day and from the video that came out last year of Mo, I’m quite confident he’s EXPECTING a longterm bigger contract even with his injury so more power to him if another team is willing to gamble and has the money to do so.

[Orl_Magic]

Hey guys Weltman was chugging probably Pepto-Bismol while drafting Jase. It physically makes him ill not drafting a longboy. Penda cured Weltmans heartburn.

[pepe1991]

Seems like he is "only" a 3pointshot away from becoming a potential high level roleplayer. I'm absolutely OK gambling that a young player improves his shooting in the 2nd round when he checks so many other boxes.
Is it super likely? No, history and especially Magic history says no but it's a 2nd round pick.

He again shows that the long athlete stuff is fan fiction. Weltman drafted mainly bad to good athletes but almost never really good athletes.
This team is sneaky unathletic and he didn't address that again. The TDS pick looks worse now. He seems to become the better version of the Weltman special of drafting bad athletes who arent skilled enough to compensate the lack of athletism like Chuma and Jett.
I really like high iq, highly skilled non athletes but his tries are just not skilled enough so far.

In a vacuum I like both picks and both more than TDS but the roster composition is still a mess and the draft doesn't really helped.

It's not "just 3 point shot" it's pretty much entire jumpshot ability away.
Euro 3 point line is nba deep mid range. So he can't really pull up from any deeper range, if you consider sub 30% from deep mid range.

While these are two different levels of talent, I still find the following as encouraging... Wembanyama, in the same French league, shot an abysmal 27% from 3 on five apg. The previous season, his sophomore season in the French league, he shot 26% on three attempts per game and only averaged 9.4 ppg. He was able to up his 3 percentage to 32% in his NBA rookie season and 35% this past season.

Penda shot 30% on three attempts per game from 3 as a rookie in that French league and averaged 10 ppg. He also shot 36.6% on catch and shoot from 3. I think he'll be able to improve his shot enough to at least be serviceable from there, which is enough for him at pf on this team.

Victor probably shouldn't be shooting near 9 three-FGA in nba anyway, but Victor's last year in Franch league:
21,6 ppg
10,4 rpg
3 bpg
MVP
League's leading scorer
award for best young player
DPOY
League's best blocker
Ideal 5 selection

Guy had 6 throphies after French league ceremony


In his first season in France, he was 17. Penda is just year younger than Vic. It's bit wild to consider fact that Wemby only turns 22 in January as he is, when healthy, top 8-ish player, impact vise.

[pepe1991]

Hey guys Weltman was chugging probably Pepto-Bismol while drafting Jase. It physically makes him ill not drafting a longboy. Penda cured Weltmans heartburn.

This bro broke him

[Optimus_Steel]

Rookie presser on Magic Facebook right now, and YT.

[AdamTheGreek]

Panda will spend the year in G League id imagine and get called up if/when injuries happen.

I wouldn’t assume anything until he gets through the summer, and we don’t know who is departing the roster.

[AdamTheGreek]

Rookie presser on Magic Facebook right now, and YT.

Nothing crazy came out of it other than Jase as a little kid was very familiar with Stuff’s Magic Castle.

[AdamTheGreek]

Hey guys Weltman was chugging probably Pepto-Bismol while drafting Jase. It physically makes him ill not drafting a longboy. Penda cured Weltmans heartburn.

Jase is a long boy though. 6’6” wingspan. He’s just short.

[magicfan9109]

Hey guys Weltman was chugging probably Pepto-Bismol while drafting Jase. It physically makes him ill not drafting a longboy. Penda cured Weltmans heartburn.

Jase is a long boy though. 6’6” wingspan. He’s just short.

The long arms do give me hope. He may grow too (unlikely).

[Dub_Sax]

Rookie presser on Magic Facebook right now, and YT.

Nothing crazy came out of it other than Jase as a little kid was very familiar with Stuff’s Magic Castle.

I thought the one reporter who asked Jase about the origin of his number should/could have asked Noah the same..

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[AdamTheGreek]

Rookie presser on Magic Facebook right now, and YT.

Nothing crazy came out of it other than Jase as a little kid was very familiar with Stuff’s Magic Castle.

I thought the one reporter who asked Jase about the origin of his number should/could have asked Noah the same..

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93 is the number of his French district where he’s from.

Fournier was from district 94 and that’s why he’s wearing that number at Olympiakos.