How Maxime Raynaud Would Fit with the Orlando Magic

The NBA Draft is officially here. Only a few days after the conclusion of the NBA season, the league will hold its annual draft beginning tonight, starting with round one, and concluding with round two on June 26. Teams around the league will search for their next superstar, hoping who they select will end up being that guy.

One of those players that is hoping to become an NBA superstar is former Stanford Cardinal star, Maxime Raynaud. Putting together a stellar senior season, one that saw him average 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds en route to being a First-team All-ACC selection, Raynaud has become a highly touted prospect.

In a majority of mock drafts leading up to today, he has been projected to go to the Orlando Magic with the 25th overall pick.

The Magic could be in prime position to draft a center, given the uncertain future of current center, Moritz Wagner. A free agent this summer, the Magic have not agreed to a long-term extension for the seven-year veteran and if he does not return to the team, Orlando would have a massive hole to fill in the middle. With Raynaud, the Magic would get a guy who is very similar in size but who is more of a punishing scorer and defender.

Despite being on the older side for a rookie at 22-years-old, Raynaud brings more experience than a lot of the other draft picks, and given how he played with the Cardinal, proving that he has what it takes to be the star player, Raynaud could be a perfect plug-and-play option while making the team considerably longer as they look to open up a championship window.

Invited to the scouting combine, Raynaud raised his stock considerably during the event, putting together the best performance of any player during the 5-on-5 event when he scored 20 points and recorded nine rebounds against the other top prospects. Consistently stepping up when it matters most, Raynaud firmly proved that he is a first round talent.

While the Magic are the team that most have projected Raynaud to get drafted by, the Atlanta Hawks were another team thrown out there, with ESPN predicting in one of their mock drafts earlier this month that he could go to Atlanta.

But after the Hawks acquired Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team trade on June 24, it pretty much squashed any chances of him going there, leaving Orlando as the most likely spot.

Aside from Wagner, the Magic also have a fair share of key players who are slated to hit free agency-- making the possible addition of Raynaud even more important if they are unable to bring some of those guys back. Other Magic free agents include Gary Harris, Cory Joseph, Caleb Houstan and Mac McClung.

The first round of the draft will begin at 5 p.m. (PT) and will air on ESPN and ABC. The Dallas Mavericks will have the first pick followed by the San Antonio Spurs and the Philadelphia 76ers. Round two will also begin at 5 p.m. (PT) on Thursday and will air exclusively on ESPN.