Wes Iwundu?

[Skybox]

What does he do? ...when we picked him, all the film I saw showed a ball handling initiator. Drive and kick, get to the rim, great D, great physical profile.

He’s playing more and I’m glad but what is he expected to develop into? Ppg are usually 4 when I look at the box score. I know that very good players don’t always fill the stat sheets but I would expect steals,blocks, rebounds, assists more often...What do you all hope/ predict he’ll become in the NBA?

[PennytoShaq]

I want him to be like Thabo Sefalosha. A solid wing defender who can knock down 3's at a decent clip and use his athleticism to initiate and finish fast breaks.

[OrlandO]

Slightly better version of Devyn Marble. Good third stringer to have with a chance to develop into a solid bench player. If it was up to me I'd bench Mario and play Iwundu more to see where he's at as a rookie since he's more likely to still be on the roster next season.

[PrimeThyme]

The Devyn Marble comparison just doesn't make sense to me. With Wes's ball handling and playmaking abilities, he is a completely different prospect than Marble was. Sure his shot is a work in progress and he is a really good defender, but he offers a much better and more diverse skill set than Marble did. If we give him consistent minutes I think he could turn out to be a solid role player for us.

[PennytoShaq]

Yeah I don't see that either. Marble really had no skillset besides ok shooting and hard work on defense. Iunwdu is already showing that he can put the ball on the floor, attack the rim and even initiate offense now and then.

[Xatticus]

He's already a good defender. He makes some rookie mistakes, but he is really slick in chasing his man around screens. He and Isaac get their hands on so many balls at the defensive end. The steals should come, but steals are a bit deceptive as a statistic.

He's growing offensively. He's already capable of pushing in transition. The half-court game is another matter entirely. We've seen him use his dribble and length to get into the paint for easy baskets though. He should only get better at that, but his 3-point shot is going to take some time.

I liked him before the draft. I still like him. I'm just hopeful that our front office/coaching staff has the patience to allow him to develop. They don't have much invested in him, so it would be very easy for them to go in another direction.

[OrlandO]

The Devyn Marble comparison just doesn't make sense to me. With Wes's ball handling and playmaking abilities, he is a completely different prospect than Marble was. Sure his shot is a work in progress and he is a really good defender, but he offers a much better and more diverse skill set than Marble did. If we give him consistent minutes I think he could turn out to be a solid role player for us.

Marble played PG in college... he had handling and playmaking abilities too. We even played him at PG a bit. He also played with effort on defense. His problem was scoring... he moved well... his shot looked good... but he couldn't get the ball to go through the hoop from anywhere to save his life. He looked like a legit NBA role player otherwise. That's why Iwundu gets the edge... he is at least showing the ability to somewhat convert near the basket, which is important because it will buy him some time and opportunity to prove he can develop into more than a third stringer. He hasn't proven anything yet though... he's going to have to improve quickly or he will be replaced in a couple years.

[PrimeThyme]

The Devyn Marble comparison just doesn't make sense to me. With Wes's ball handling and playmaking abilities, he is a completely different prospect than Marble was. Sure his shot is a work in progress and he is a really good defender, but he offers a much better and more diverse skill set than Marble did. If we give him consistent minutes I think he could turn out to be a solid role player for us.

Marble played PG in college... he had handling and playmaking abilities too. We even played him at PG a bit. He also played with effort on defense. His problem was scoring... he moved well... his shot looked good... but he couldn't get the ball to go through the hoop from anywhere to save his life. He looked like a legit NBA role player otherwise. That's why Iwundu gets the edge... he is at least showing the ability to somewhat convert near the basket, which is important because it will buy him some time and opportunity to prove he can develop into more than a third stringer. He hasn't proven anything yet though... he's going to have to improve quickly or he will be replaced in a couple years.

Those are all fair points, my only thing is I don't watch Iwundu and think Devyn Marble. The only reason he gets that comparison is because he was a former second-round draft pick with a similar build that played here recently. I dont think he would ever get compared to him by this fanbase like he does if that wasn't the case. Marble was pretty much an undrafted guy while most draft scouts had Iwundu going in the first round in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. Multiple draft express guys tweeted that he was a steal in the second round when we drafted him.

He's obviously still going to have to earn his place in the NBA and he is a flawed player, I just feel from an overall skillset and bball IQ standpoint that he has a much better chance at succeding at the NBA level than Marble ever did.

[OrlandoDream]

He will be a solid 3D wing. The best case scenario is another Robert Covington. He does many things right on the court. Willing passer, good defender, hustler, and smart player. He will be a good player but I dont trust vogel to use him effectively.

[Furinkazan]

how dare you forget about Jimmy Butler comparisions.I still belive

[Xatticus]

how dare you forget about Jimmy Butler comparisions.I still belive

I invoked Butler's name as an example of another older, toolsy wing that didn't have gaudy college stats but still possessed a lot of upside. I wasn't trying to make a direct comparison, though it wouldn't be the worst. The biggest differences would be that Iwundu is a year old during his rookie season and Butler has always had a very high free throw rate.

You should revisit Butler's rookie season stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleji01.html

He's a perfect example of why you don't give up on a player like Iwundu.

[Furinkazan]

how dare you forget about Jimmy Butler comparisions.I still belive

I invoked Butler's name as an example of another older, toolsy wing that didn't have gaudy college stats but still possessed a lot of upside. I wasn't trying to make a direct comparison, though it wouldn't be the worst. The biggest differences would be that Iwundu is a year old during his rookie season and Butler has always had a very high free throw rate.

You should revisit Butler's rookie season stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleji01.html

He's a perfect example of why you don't give up on a player like Iwundu.

told you I still belive

[Xatticus]

how dare you forget about Jimmy Butler comparisions.I still belive

I invoked Butler's name as an example of another older, toolsy wing that didn't have gaudy college stats but still possessed a lot of upside. I wasn't trying to make a direct comparison, though it wouldn't be the worst. The biggest differences would be that Iwundu is a year old during his rookie season and Butler has always had a very high free throw rate.

You should revisit Butler's rookie season stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleji01.html

He's a perfect example of why you don't give up on a player like Iwundu.

told you I still belive

I'm sorry. I thought you were being sarcastic.

[Furinkazan]

I invoked Butler's name as an example of another older, toolsy wing that didn't have gaudy college stats but still possessed a lot of upside. I wasn't trying to make a direct comparison, though it wouldn't be the worst. The biggest differences would be that Iwundu is a year old during his rookie season and Butler has always had a very high free throw rate.

You should revisit Butler's rookie season stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleji01.html

He's a perfect example of why you don't give up on a player like Iwundu.

told you I still belive

I'm sorry. I thought you were being sarcastic.

well I went halfway sarcastic because I thought Im going to get ganked.But I really hope he will develop this way for us.

[pepe1991]

Jimmy B comparisoooooooooooooon




nah ,Magic will in offseason give contract to new vet,he'll be in and out of G league and gone after that. Pretty much same rout with every Magic second round pick for years.

[drsd]

Slightly better version of Devyn Marble. Good third stringer to have with a chance to develop into a solid bench player. If it was up to me I'd bench Mario and play Iwundu more to see where he's at as a rookie since he's more likely to still be on the roster next season.

I really like Iwundu as a development player. He must be an active contributor to the practice squad, and he is indeed NBA capable.

A 5-year career is entirely plausible for him where his job is to set screens, play defense, and contribute to team goals. On a deep bench, he could emerge as a nice 10th man for Orlando moving forward.

That said, if a team wanted him as a throw-in to a trade, he would be gone. He is not an asset in that sense.

..

[magicman112]

He looks to have the makings of a good rotational player. Any kind of production you can get out of a 2nd round pick is good, many of them don't even make a roster.

[Optimus_Steel]

I think he is a rotation player. How deep in the rotation that is hard to say, right now way down the list and he will have to work very hard to climb up.

[Furinkazan]

Jimmy B comparisoooooooooooooon




nah ,Magic will in offseason give contract to new vet,he'll be in and out of G league and gone after that. Pretty much same rout with every Magic second round pick for years.

Watch on YouTube

[Skin]

I hope he can be someone like Doug Christie in his hey day.