Orlando Magic Select Courtney Lee with the 22nd Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft

by Ben Q Rock on Jun 26, 2008 9:45 PM EDT in News Comment 4 comments

As expected, the Orlando Magic selected Courtney Lee with the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Lee, 6'05" from Western Kentucky, is expected to compete with Keith Bogans and J.J. Redick for minutes at shooting guard.

While I'm pleased with the pick -- he's topped my Magic draft board for the past week -- I'm a bit surprised the Magic didn't select Kansas power forward Darrell Arthur, a top-15 talent who was available.

The Magic have no other picks in this draft... yet. They've reportedly explored acquiring a high second-rounder. Stay tuned.

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Yes!

Love the pick. I’m shocked CDR is in the second round.

by L Magico on Jun 26, 2008 10:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Although I would have rather had a banger down low like Thompson or Speights, Lee is still a solid pickup. I’m confident he will workout being that he has been studied by Orlando for so long. Who knows, maybe he will be an upgrade from Bogans and we won’t have to test the market.

I guess the only thing to do now is sit back and wait for summer league to start.

by magic fanatic on Jun 27, 2008 1:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

See my comment in the other thread about Arthur …

I’m okay with the pick, but I’m not entirely convinced about Lee. CDR was actually rated higher than Lee by John Hollinger … by all accounts, Hollinger rates prospective rookies on a projected Player Efficiency Rating. For the most parts, the PER is a solid tool to get an idea how much of an impact you should expect from said player.

Considering Lee has a PER of 11.17, which isn’t bad but more often than not, we shouldn’t expect Lee to step in and be a starter right away, even though conventional wisdom would state given his experience he has the potential to do that. He’s a fringe first-rounder at best and will most likely end up nothing more than a rotation player. Personally, I think Lee will be okay but we’ll wait and see …

Freelance Writer for the Chicago Tribune
Class of 2009 - DePaul University

by erivera7 on Jun 27, 2008 3:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

More on Courtney Lee...

In addition to averaging 20.4 PPG on 47.7% FG shooting this past season, Lee scored at least 20 points in 19 of the 36 games he played in, including 3 games of 30 points or more, with a high game of 33 points.

The scouting report on Yahoo.com has some very complementary things to say about Lee, such as… he is able to score in a number of ways from the outside, whether it be via his silky smooth three-point shot or pull-up jumper off the bounce. He has a high basketball IQ, letting the game come to him while keeping a calm demeanor at all times on the floor. He rebounds the ball well for a shooting guard and has shown nice court vision when creating for others. Defensively he has established himself as one of the top shooting guards in this draft. Lee might be the most versatile shooting guard the draft has to offer and projects as an outstanding complementary player in the NBA.

As far as Lee’s weaknesses, Yahoo.com says that Lee struggles a bit in terms of getting to the rim, relying upon his jumper as his main offensive weapon. He is not very creative off the dribble, leaving one to question whether or not he will be able to create his own shot in the NBA. He has somewhat small hands and average height and length.

It’s interesting that Ohio State C Kosta Koufas was available when the Magic picked; that’s how highly the Magic thought of Lee to pick him over someone who would have given the Magic quality big man depth. Who knows why Chris Douglas-Roberts fell as far as he did.

I like the pick of Lee and think he will contribute next season; this probably means that Mo Evans won’t be re-signed, and that Bogans, Redick, and Lee (maybe even Turkoglu) all will get a chance at significant playing time at SG.

by Mike from Illinois on Jun 27, 2008 5:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs