The 2015 NBA draft is less than two months away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. The exact draft order won’t be known until the May 19th lottery, when the simple bounce of a ping-pong ball can alter the fate of a franchise. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by Magic GM Rob Hennigan…
Magic (June 2012-Present)
2012 Draft
- No. 19 Overall — Andrew Nicholson: 191 games, 6.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.4 BPG. .474/.315/.778.
- No. 49 Overall — Kyle O’Quinn: 177 games, 5.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.1 APG. .501/.255/.708.
Notable players passed over: Draymond Green (No. 35) and Khris Middleton (No. 39).
2013 Draft
- No. 2 Overall — Victor Oladipo: 152 games, 15.87 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.1 APG. .428/.333/.799.
- No. 51 Overall — Romero Osby: No NBA regular season appearances.
Notable players passed over: Nerlens Noel (No. 6), Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11), Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15), and Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No. 4 Overall — Aaron Gordon: 47 games, 5.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.7 APG. .447/.271/.721.
- No. 10 Overall — Elfrid Payton*: 82 games, 8.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.5 APG. .425/.262/.551.
*The rights to Payton were acquired from the Sixers in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick (Dario Saric), a 2015 second-round pick, and a 2017 first-rounder.
Notable players passed over: Dante Exum (No. 5), Marcus Smart (No. 6), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
Green could be starting fior Magic,