New Mock Draft Has Orlando Magic Pivoting At No. 25

Jun 24, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman (left) and second round draft pick Caleb Houstan (right) during a press conference at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

After weeks of being tied to Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., the Orlando Magic may go in a different direction with the No.25 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. A recent mock draft from Bleacher Report has Orlando selecting Illinois small forward Will Riley.

"Will Riley measured taller and stronger than expected at the combine—a promising sign for a player whose game isn’t built on explosion. At 6'8" barefoot with a three-level scoring profile, Riley is likely to draw interest from multiple first-round teams," it wrote. "Scouts are confident in his shooting ability and see the added strength and late-season flashes of playmaking as encouraging signs."

Averaging 12.6 points in 35 games, Riley earned Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. The 6-foot-8 Ontario native is a capable scorer, but questions remain about his physicality and defensive capabilities.

In a recent scouting report, NBA senior analyst Kevin O'Connor highlighted the major concerns around Riley.

"Though he has the height to theoretically be a highly versatile defender, he is extremely skinny and prone to getting plowed by strong scorers. And his fundamentals aren’t at a level that he can be relied on to contain quicker players either," O'Connor wrote. "Even his off-ball awareness is underwhelming. It’ll take him resolving a lot of “ifs” to become a competent defender."

Riley understands he needs to get stronger, a point he emphasized during the NBA Draft Combine.

"What I need to work on is probably my physicality right now, just gaining a little more weight," Riley said. "I did it at Illinois, I came in at 170 and left at 190. So yeah, that's probably the main thing I gotta do to translate to the NBA for sure."

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