Jackson, Tatum, or Isaac

[drsd]

Orlando's pressing need is an upgrade at SF. This draft looks to have three real winners in Jackson, Tatum, or Isaac.

Assuming BPA would not be one of the prized PGs at the Magic's draft slot, this team looks to be drafting a SF.

None of Jackson, Tatum, or Isaac is "perfect." So have an inverted poll question: which player is most likely to flop: Jackson, Tatum, or Isaac:

[shadrock]

Tatum. He plays an outdated style of basketball, and i dont see his game translating to the NBA very well. Isaac to me has a very high floor given he is like 7 ft tall, can shoot, can dribble and can defend. He also has the highest ceiling by far.

Jackson will be ok but i just dont like him. I dont know why. Maybe its the wife beater part...

[drsd]

Jackson will be ok but i just dont like him. I dont know why.

I too have been perplexed by the (over)hype for Jackson. Is he really that different a player than Aaron Gordon, who went 4th in a draft not as strong as this year's?


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[BadMofoPimp]

Fox. He will never live up to Elf's standards.

[KillMonger]

why is there not a "none" option?

[PennytoShaq]

Yeah, Im not sure any of these guys flop. Jackson has some character issues, so if I had to pick one, it would be him. Honestly, I think all 3 guys are great prospects. We will get more clarity during workouts.

[magicfan4life88]

A BIG FAT HELL NO TO ISAAC, he's my pick for the flop

[MagicFan101]

why is there not a "none" option?

That is impossible.

Even if all turn into HOF players it won't remove the fact that there was bust potential in all three and one was "most likely to flop".

Jackson plays with ferocious energy on both sides of the court. Even if his shot never develops that will be valuable and keep him in the league.

Tatum can do everything well but yes, doesn't appear to have that one thing about him which makes him special. His consistency should make him a strong 6th man at worst as he should be able to punish 2nd stringers.

Isaac has incredible upside with a smooth all around game from all over the court. His lack of strength worries me as does the fact that we haven't seen him explode and dominate even one single game. It's easy to blame that on the system he was in (I have done so myself) but it can't be ignored entirely.

While I like all three and would be excited for next season if we grabbed any one of them... Isaac has the most complete flop potential. The other two are probable role players at worst.

[OrlChamps2030]

Jackson will be ok but i just dont like him. I dont know why.

I too have been perplexed by the (over)hype for Jackson. Is he really that different a player than Aaron Gordon, who went 4th in a draft not as strong as this year's?


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Jackson showed much more on the perimeter in college than AG did. He's a wing through and through

[p0peye]

I haven't watched Jackson much. Comments from you guys make him look like SF version of Marcus Smart.

[MagicFan101]

I haven't watched Jackson much. Comments from you guys make him look like SF version of Marcus Smart.

That isn't the worst comparison I have seen.

Becoming the SF version of Marcus Smart would certainly result in him being a disappointment with respect to his likely top 3 draft slot but Smart is playing very meaningful minutes for the #1 seed. So I wouldn't call that being a flop.

In my eyes, it's important to distinguish between disappointments and busts.

[JF5]

Issac is a tweener... But leans more to being a PF (IMO).

Jackson looks to be be at worst Andre Iguodala, Jumpshot isn't as broken but is something to worry about there.

Tatum reminds me mold of a better Tobias Harris/poor man's Jabari Parker with better defensive potential. He'll definitely contribute, but don't think he'll be a star player.

Probably lean more towards Issac due to his Shot blocking/Defense and his ability to spread the court.

[p0peye]

I haven't watched Jackson much. Comments from you guys make him look like SF version of Marcus Smart.

That isn't the worst comparison I have seen.

Becoming the SF version of Marcus Smart would certainly result in him being a disappointment with respect to his likely top 3 draft slot but Smart is playing very meaningful minutes for the #1 seed. So I wouldn't call that being a flop.

In my eyes, it's important to distinguish between disappointments and busts.

In context of set expectations, aka future multiple All Star at very least (some even mention HOF), that is a flop without a doubt. Smart is good, but Celtics would be nowhere near this good if not for Isaiah Thomas and bunch of guys who can really defend and shoot (Horford, Bradley, Crowder, even Amir Johnson).

[pepe1991]

I haven't watched Jackson much. Comments from you guys make him look like SF version of Marcus Smart.

That isn't the worst comparison I have seen.

Becoming the SF version of Marcus Smart would certainly result in him being a disappointment with respect to his likely top 3 draft slot but Smart is playing very meaningful minutes for the #1 seed. So I wouldn't call that being a flop.

In my eyes, it's important to distinguish between disappointments and busts.

In context of set expectations, aka future multiple All Star at very least (some even mention HOF), that is a flop without a doubt. Smart is good, but Celtics would be nowhere near this good if not for Isaiah Thomas and bunch of guys who can really defend and shoot (Horford, Bradley, Crowder, even Amir Johnson).

MKG with not as broken jumpshot?

[MagicFan101]

I haven't watched Jackson much. Comments from you guys make him look like SF version of Marcus Smart.

That isn't the worst comparison I have seen.

Becoming the SF version of Marcus Smart would certainly result in him being a disappointment with respect to his likely top 3 draft slot but Smart is playing very meaningful minutes for the #1 seed. So I wouldn't call that being a flop.

In my eyes, it's important to distinguish between disappointments and busts.

In context of set expectations, aka future multiple All Star at very least (some even mention HOF), that is a flop without a doubt. Smart is good, but Celtics would be nowhere near this good if not for Isaiah Thomas and bunch of guys who can really defend and shoot (Horford, Bradley, Crowder, even Amir Johnson).

That is the binary, black-and-white kind of thinking I'm trying to discourage.

Off the top of my head, Evan Turner was a #2 overall pick who never panned out at a star yet he is a contributer throughout a long career. Clearly he is a disappointment relative to his draft spot but is he a bust? It's hard for me to say that when you also have examples like #1 pick Anthony Bennet or #2 pick Darko Milicic.

There is a huge separation between the return of these picks. Hence I prefer to differentiate between dissapointments and busts.

[Skin]

I voted Tatum. Dreaded tweener fear. Doesn't have a pure position. Doesn't have a strong enough handle for SF and his offensive game is too raw to play SF in the NBA. He profiles to be an NBA PF while not being able to defend NBA 4s. Things he got away with in college won't be there for him in the pros. Also plays soft and doesn't finish through contact like Josh Jackson does. Will prefer the fade away or jump shot. Don't love his fit next to Aaron Gordon.

Jackson will be a star. His game is a mix between Jimmy Butler and Paul George. My #1 hope for us.

Isaac has length and enough offensive savvy to avoid being a bust in this league. The fact that he'll always be able to rely on his size, mobility and defense means his floor is high and his ceiling is sky high. I don't see him as a full SF though. SF on offense, PF on defense. Unlike Tatum, Isaac is an ideal fit next to Aaron Gordon.

[OrlandoDream]

Call me crazy but I can't see any of them flopping. Isaac is probably the one that will take the longest to settle but he will find a place in this league. Too good to flop.

[drsd]

why is there not a "none" option?

That is impossible.

Even if all turn into HOF players it won't remove the fact that there was bust potential in all three and one was "most likely to flop".

Jackson plays with ferocious energy on both sides of the court. Even if his shot never develops that will be valuable and keep him in the league.

Tatum can do everything well but yes, doesn't appear to have that one thing about him which makes him special. His consistency should make him a strong 6th man at worst as he should be able to punish 2nd stringers.

Isaac has incredible upside with a smooth all around game from all over the court. His lack of strength worries me as does the fact that we haven't seen him explode and dominate even one single game. It's easy to blame that on the system he was in (I have done so myself) but it can't be ignored entirely.

While I like all three and would be excited for next season if we grabbed any one of them... Isaac has the most complete flop potential. The other two are probable role players at worst.

Very comprehensive. I agree with all points.

Call me crazy but I can't see any of them flopping. Isaac is probably the one that will take the longest to settle but he will find a place in this league. Too good to flop.

For me the draft is always about upside. Boom or bust is a better draft plan than go for not-the-worst. In this, I am starting to lean towards Isaac. He looks a lot like Rashard Lewis to me. And that worked very well. Recall Lewis was brought in to play SF for the Magic. Only the Miličić fiasco caused Lewis to (reluctantly) slide to the 4. And that worked only because Türkoğlu ended up being considereably better than envisaged.


My draft order is Isaac, Jackson, and Tatum. Indeed I would be disappointed if the Magic end up with Tatum if either Jackson or Isaac were still not he board. But all our view could change after the draft workouts.



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[Bensational]

I could see Jackson having a career anywhere from Evan Turner to Igoudala to Jimmy Butler caliber. He has skills for both ends of the court, just needs to improve that jump shot to become a real star type.

Tatum seems to have the knack for scoring. One thing that's undervalued in the league these days are guys that can just play, and Tatum knows how to play. The Tobias Harris and Jabari comps are solid IMO, because he'll at least be able to score at a decent clip. May never be a star, but he's young and his offense seems pretty advanced for his age.

Isaac looks like he'll be able to contribute as a 3&D guy at the very least. Whether he can take it to another level depends on his handles. I've watched a bunch of his highlights and I can't say I've seen him beat his man off the dribble more than a couple of times. I've actually seen him fumble the ball just bringing it up the court, and his handles might look good because once in a while because he'll throw in a pointless crossover through his legs, but anytime he tried to create off the dribble he seemed to settle for a jumpshot. It was a lot like watching Gordon this season - except he was at least struggling against NBA defenders. The few times Isaac did take his man off the dribble, he struggles to gather himself after and seems to get lucky and bailed out by a foul call (because he struggles through contact). Isaac scores off the ball a lot more often with backdoor cuts, like Gordon. But he can actually shoot the ball well already, unlike Gordon. His arms are everywhere on defense, even on the perimeter, which is great to see. His passes suggests he's got good vision.

Something makes me nervous about Isaac, but at the same time, I can't deny that he has potential.

[The Effect]

I know it could be considered lazy comparison because of the schools and size, but to me Jackson reminds me so much of a more confident (draft day) Wiggins. I know many are somewhat down on on him but id happy take a Wiggins on this team right now