Orlando Magic Find Perfect Fit in Miami’s Kyshawn George?

ORLANDO — Could a trip down I-95 South lead the Orlando Magic to a player in the 2024 NBA Draft who can improve their shooting next season?

In CBS Sports’ latest mock draft, Orlando takes University of Miami 6-foot-8 shooting guard Kyshawn George with the No. 18 overall pick.

“George is an Orlando Magic player if I’ve ever seen one, with size and skill to play and guard multiple positions,” CBS Sports writes. “Most importantly, he was a knock-down shooter in his one season at Miami, particularly off the catch. He could serve as a floor-spacer in Orlando while he develops his ball-handling and playmaking skills — which I find incredibly intriguing.”

It’s no secret that the Magic value positional size and defensive versatility. Their first-round picks a year ago were 6-foot-7 guard Anthony Black and 6-foot-8 guard Jett Howard. This past season, Orlando boasted one of the bigger lineups in the NBA.

While George’s size and defensive value would be welcome, his outside shooting is the main attraction. He shot 40.8 percent on his 3-point attempts in his one season at Miami.

But the sample size for evaluating George, 20, is small: He averaged just 7.6 points per game on 6.1 shots, 4.2 of which were 3-pointers. The draft boards rank him from middle-late first round to early on Day 2: No. 17 by Yahoo Sports, No. 19 by ESPN, No. 26 by CBS Sports, and No. 33 by The Ringer.

ESPN said that with George’s potential upside, it could be worth having him spend a season in the G-League to eliminate some of the questions about his game.

“The biggest questions stem from his struggles attacking the paint and handling physicality at this stage — a deficiency that might stem from his lack of high-level experience prior to college,” ESPN writes. “George will likely be asked to work some of that out in the G League next season, but he fits a valuable mold, and should make for an intriguing upside swing.”

Before spending his lone college season at Miami, George played in high school in France.

Whether it’s through the draft, in free agency, by trade, or by developing current players such as Howard and Black, the Magic needs better shooting. An offense that ranked 24th in points per game and tied for last in 3-pointers made per game ultimately hit a wall in the playoffs.

The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft is 8 p.m. ET on June 26. The second round is 4 p.m. ET on June 27.