Who are the Orlando Magic likely to pick at NBA Draft 2023?

The Orlando Magic are back in the lottery once again. The Magic are familiar with drafting early. They have had the No. 1 pick four times. This will be the third-straight year they have a pick in the top 10.

They won the lottery last season and chose Paolo Banchero as their No. 1 in 2022. He won Rookie of the Year and leads a budding young Magic roster.

Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter, Bol Bol, Chuma Okeke and Cole Anthony make up the rest of the current Magic core that is developing nicely together. The Magic are one of the longest teams with unreal size. They will look to add some shooting or another versatile wing with their draft picks.

The Magic have their own first-round pick at sixth. They also have the 11th pick, which they received from the Chicago Bulls. They received the pick in the Nikola Vucevic trade.

The Magic also own their own second overall pick this season. Orlando will pick 36th overall.

The sixth overall pick

The Magic missed out on the top three of the draft this season. Many believe the top three prospects are way ahead of the other prospects this year. Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller are the expected top three.

Orlando will have to settle for someone in the next tier. The Thompson twins are likely to be off the board and will go in the top five.

The Magic may take Anthony Black at number six. The big guard out of Arkansas is 6-foot-6-inches and could offer Orlando yet another big and lengthy player to give teams matchup problems. He would fit in with Orlando’s defensive stopping prowess.

Black does struggle a bit as a shooter. Black would also rotate in with Fultz and Anthony as a playmaker on offense. He could set up Orlando’s bigs and run the offense.

Orlando may also take the local product Taylor Hendricks at number six. He is a versatile forward at 6-foot-8 and played college basketball in Orlando at UCF.

Hendricks could also fit in nicely as a two-way player. He could be another big body that fits in nicely to Orlando’s defensive system.

With the 11th pick, Orlando may look to add more size and another big. They drafted a Duke freshman in Banchero last season. They could do it again this season at 11.

Dereck Lively, out of Duke, could end up in Orlando with the 11th pick. He is a 7-foot-1-inch center and could be a shot blocker in the Magic defensive system.

Orlando may also trade the pick to acquire a player to move backward. The Magic could also use the pick and some of their young assets to try and move up in the draft. Some reports have said the Magic have tried to package six and 11 together in a deal to move into the top three of this year’s draft.