The Orlando Magic, , will have multiple chances to add to their roster on June 23.
After kicking off a rebuild in March 2021, the Magic already have significant young talent. Orlando has nine players who were drafted in the first round since 2017 signed to contracts for the 2022-23 season.
Nonetheless, the Magic have clear needs after finishing 2021-22 with a 22-60 record.
As the roster stands, Orlando needs a 3-and-D wing/forward — with an emphasis on reliable 3-point shooting — who has good size and length for their position. The Magic also could use another big/center, depending on what happens with .
After taking a step forward in their pre-draft evaluations during the mid-May NBA draft combine in Chicago, the Magic are hosting prospects for workouts ahead of the draft.
This story is part of a series on players :
TyTy Washington Jr. (Kentucky)
Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 196 pounds | Age: 20 | Wingspan: 6-foot-8
2021-22 averages: 12.5 points (45.1% from the field — 49.6% on 2s, 35% on 3s), 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Connection: NBA draft combine interviewee
Note: Teams are allowed to interview a maximum of 20 players at the combine and each player is allowed to interview with a maximum of 13 teams, according to a league spokesperson. The league decides which team speaks to the players. Just because a team didn’t interview a prospect during the combine doesn’t mean they’re not interested or won’t pick the player.
The buzz: A former 5-star out of Phoenix in the 2021 recruiting class, Washington is one of the top guard prospects in this year’s draft. Washington was named second-team All Southeastern Conference in his lone year with the Wildcats. He also was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. His 17 assists in a Jan. 8 win over Georgia surpassed John Wall’s 16 for Kentucky’s single-game assists record.
Scouting report: Combo guard who’s proficient in the pick-and-roll, one of the most common actions for an NBA guard. Plays with a good pace on the ball. Doesn’t turn the ball over a lot. Skilled passer who spreads the ball around in a variety of ways — pocket passes out of the pick-and-roll, finding open shooters in the corner, alley-oops and hit-aheads in transition. As a scorer, excels with floaters and mid-range pull-ups. Good spot-up shooter on 3s and showed flashes of movement shooting. Had glimpses of growth with pull-up/step-back shooting from beyond the arc.
Not very quick or shifty, so he needs a screen to create separation from his defender. Defenders going under on screens could neutralize his scoring effectiveness. Needs to be more reliable hitting 3s off the dribble to open scoring/driving lanes. Also struggles with quickness/staying in front of his man defensively. Needs to improve with finishing at the rim, especially over length. Will settle for floaters if there’s a rim-protecting threat.
Fit: The Magic are loaded with young guards (, , , and ). Washington could have a hard time getting playing time if he was in Orlando despite how steady he is as a ballhandler. He’s expected to be drafted in the mid-to-late first round.
This article first appeared on . Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at .
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