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A Year in Reflection: Was Oladipo the Right Choice For Orlando?


It's been nearly nine months since Orlando drafted the former Indiana Hoosier with the second overall pick. He was deemed the "safest" pick of the draft because of what he was;an elite athlete, with enormous defensive potential, but lacked a polished offensive game. I initially loved the pick, but as time went on I became more and more discouraged from what I was seeing. Part of this--as we all have discussed on here--is him playing out of position, part of this is his lack of experience as an NBA player. The thing that really turns me off about him is the lack of progression from a basketball IQ standpoint (reading defenses, knowing the personnel, etc). He's still making the same mistakes he made over five months ago. The same can't be said about Trey Burke, who has been coming into his own and really looks to have a very promising career.

The biggest question I have for Rob Hennigan is why did you select Oladipo? If you were going for the safe pick, why didn't you select Burke? If you were going for the best defensive prospect, why didn't you take Nerlens Noel? If you were looking for the player with the most upside, why didn't you choose Giannis Antetokounmpo? See, of the players I listed above here, after a year of reflection, I would've taken over Oladipo if I had the opportunity. MCW is almost in the Oladipo mold, but not as bad.

This year would've been a PERFECT introductory year to Trey Burke, too, who could have been mentored by a solid veteran like Nelson. I also wouldn't of minded selecting Noel, simply because he could take the year to add strength/bulk--which he needs direly, by the way. Antetokounmpo also would'be been fun to watch--especially after watching Harkless continue to be in denial that he can't shoot the three ball or have repetitive 5 point outings in 35 minutes.

I am very passionate about the Magic and their well-being, so if I came off as harsh towards Oladipo it's all in an act of tough love. I want him to succeed. I want him to prove me wrong and become a star in this league. But, most of all, I just want the Magic to win games.

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

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