Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Of course the Orlando Magic had a terrible NBA season. What else do you expect from a team who lost Dwight Howard after basing the entirety of their team around his abilities? The Magic are rebuilding, and there are often times very bad seasons when an NBA team is rebuilding.
Luckily, they have an opportunity to choose the best player in the country, despite having the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. There have been rumors recently of the Cleveland Cavaliers passing on Nerlens Noel for another player, and this would play right into the hands of the Magic.
Not only did they get one of the top picks in the 2013 NBA Draft but a potential star emerged in SF Tobias Harris. Harris had some outstanding performances for the Magic towards the end of their season, and he will definitely be a key member of this Orlando team going forward.
Noel played with the Kentucky Wildcats, and Harris played with the Tennessee Volunteers. Noel’s addition to the Magic would make him and Harris one of the most dangerous young SEC duos on any NBA team in the country. Yes, there are young, talented SEC players on almost every team in the NBA, but there are very few that will both have the potential to take control of a team’s offense.
Despite having a less than two year age difference, both players never played against each other. Harris and Noel were each one and done collegiate players at their respective universities. Orlando is hurting and may be led by a 20 and 21 year old in scoring next year.
If the Cavaliers choose to pick Maryland‘s Alex Len or Georgetown‘s Otto Porter instead of Noel, the Magic might recover sooner than everyone thinks from the loss of Howard. The future looks bright for Orlando, and their way back into the playoff picture may be paved by two ex-SEC players – even if it is two or three years down the road.
Taylor Sturm is an SEC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS or add him to your network on Google.
