Pre-Draft Lottery Projection: 13 (-3)
A rough shooting season won’t be enough to entirely kill of Romeo Langford’s draft stock, as the Magic look to give Langford a chance to redeem himself here at 16. Langford is a pure scorer at heart and if he could adjust his sweet shooting stroke into actual results he’d easily become someone opposing defenses must game plan against.
Langford could seamlessly fill the gap left by the expected departure of Terrence Ross while having time to develop behind Evan Fournier. If the Magic can harness their young talent and develop them properly, Langford paired with Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac could quickly become a formidable core.
Pre-Draft Lottery Projection: 14 (-3)
The Brooklyn Nets are one of those rare rebuilding teams without a glaring hole to patch up. Sure, they’ll need a new wing to replace DeMarre Carroll, but their pockets are deep enough to grab a great player to fill that void.
What Brooklyn needs are complementary players to help take the load of the stars’ shoulders. There aren’t many better potential outcomes here for the Nets than PJ Washington falling into their lap.
What do role players need to do to be successful in the league? Shoot, keep the ball moving and play tough defense. Washington shot 44.7 percent from behind the arc in SEC conference play, grabbed 7.5 rebounds a game and clamped down defense with his incredible 7-foot-3 wingspan. Although raw athleticism and upside avoid him, Washington has all the tools to become what Andre Iguodala currently is for the Warriors. The Nets will happily take that any day.