NBA 2014 Draft: Noah Vonleh Moves Up On Mock Draft! Will He Make It To Top Five? Orlando Magic Might Oblige!
The NBA 2014 Draft is just around the corner, and some teams are still uncertain of their pick. The Orlando Magic has the unenviable 4th pick-which is outside of the Top Three projected franchise players.
ESPN released Draft guru Chad Ford's latest mock draft and the biggest surprise is Noah Vonleh-who started on the late lottery range-moving up to the top five even ahead of Dante Exum!
The secret to Vonleh's success is his positive workouts. It turns out that the 6'9" power forward was probably college basketball's best kept secret. He did not get much playing time in Indiana, and when he did play he was not the focal point of the Hoosiers' stacked roster.
Ford narrates the reasons behind the Orlando Magic's possible change of heart:
"We've consistently had the Magic taking a point guard at No. 4. They've been high on both Exum and Marcus Smart all year. Smart already has come in for a workout, and Exum is scheduled to arrive next week for his. But the Magic might end up opting to go another route.
The team really needs a power forward and Vonleh looks like a great fit next to Nikola Vucevic on the front line. His shot blocking on the defensive end plus his ability to stretch the floor on the other end is a perfect complement to Vucevic. With the several interesting point guards likely to be available at No. 12, the Magic might be able to get the best of both worlds."
The Orlando Magic has the luxury of having another lottery pick. There are still many interesting point guard prospects at no.12-Syracuse's Tyler Ennis and UCLA's Zach Lavine could slip that far, and the Magic could fill out two roster needs.
Nikola Vucevic was a treat for the Magic which has accumulated young talent from the Dwight Howard trade. If they succeed in this year's draft, they could be a possible destination for a veteran free agent and eventually become a playoff team in the weak East.