Here’s the Orlando Sentinel on the Magic and the 2014 NBA draft, which took place last night:
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They selected forward Aaron Gordon at No. 4 and point guard Elfrid Payton at No. 12, making a trade to acquire Payton, a rising small-school prospect out of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Payton was named college basketball’s Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year. Gordon led the country in a sabermetric called defensive win shares for Arizona. Last season the Magic picked Victor Oladipo, who had been named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year.
There’s definitely a trend here, with the Magic choosing players who, at the moment, are better athletes than basketball players.
Gordon and Payton are somewhat surprising picks for Orlando, lacking the marquee appeal. If general manager Rob Hennigan learned anything at San Antonio, it was that team-building isn’t about collecting talent but fitting pieces together.
The Magic could have taken a heralded point guard at 4 — a move Hennigan will regret if Payton fizzles — but passed on Australian phenom Danté Exum and NBA-ready Marcus Smart.
