Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Mock Draft: Magic Adding Upon 'Working Nucleus'?
The NBA Draft Lottery has been kind to the Orlando Magic in recent history.
Just two years ago, the team landed the Nos. 5 and 8 picks following a trade with the Chicago Bulls that also sent Wendell Carter Jr. to Orlando.
Those picks eventually became guard Jalen Suggs and forward Franz Wagner - two cornerstones of the Magic future.
And last year, Orlando was the lucky winner of the No. 1 pick and of course selected this season's Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero.
With Chicago's first-round pick once again, could Orlando strike gold and land two lottery picks for the second time in three years?
The Ringer recently drew up its final pre-lottery NBA Mock Draft and had Orlando selecting at the No. 7 and No. 11 spots.
With the first of two selections, Kevin O'Connor and J. Kyle Mann predict the Magic to take Villanova product Cam Whitmore.
"Whitmore stands out as a guy who kinda plugs in the middle as a versatile wing," O'Connor said. "A guy who can be a lob threat, you can use him as a ball handler. I think [Whitmore] is the guy here for the Magic at the No. 7 pick."
Whitmore, a 6-6 forward entered his freshman campaign as a five-star prospect and one of the top-15 players in the country.
In his true freshman campaign, the Big East Rookie of the Year averaged 12.5 points 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals on 47.8 percent shooting from the field.
"The thing about the Magic is they do have a nucleus of something that is working," Mann said. "A lot of their touches is kind of accounted for."
"He gives you another athletic attacker, I think he would fit there well. The development groove with Orlando could be healthy for him."
With multiple different avenues at No. 11, Mann envisions the Magic addressing it's lack of perimeter shooting and selecting Kansas forward Gradey Dick.
"With the Orlando Magic I think Gradey Dick would add a necessary spark of shooting in that situation," Mann said. "I think about him coming off dribble handoffs, whether it's [Wagner], no matter who it is they have so much size in their frontcourt.
"If there's a Markelle Fultz and [Carter] pick-and-roll, you get Gradey Dick coming off a screen off ball, I think he'd be a nice fit for the Orlando Magic."
Dick, one of the nation's premier sharpshooter's last season, knocked down over 40 percent of his attempts from downtown and 85.4 percent from the charity stripe.
Should the Magic be able to hit on one or both of its picks, Orlando could inch that much closer to a playoff berth and beyond.
You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard.
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