NBA mock Draft 2014: Magic projected to pick Dante Exum and Rodney Hood, analyst says

SB Nation NBA editor Tom Ziller published Wednesday his first 2014 NBA mock Draft, projecting the Orlando Magic to select Dante Exum third overall and Rodney Hood 12th overall with the WoNK pick.

A 6-foot-6 combo guard with great athleticism and scoring instincts, Exum rocketed up NBA Draft boards with his performance for Australia in the FIBA U19 Championships for Men in 2013. In that tournament, he posted per-game averages of 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He has since hired two agents to prepare for the 2014 Draft and figures to stand among the first five players selected.

"[I]t's pretty clear that the next good Magic team will feature a younger point guard," Ziller says, noting that either Exum or Oklahoma State sophomore Marcus Smart could be on Orlando's radar with its first pick.

As with most recent mocks, the Kansas duo of Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid is already off the board when Orlando selects. The likes of Smart, Jabari Parker, and Julius Randle remain when Orlando picks Exum in this mock.

In his sophomore season at Duke, Hood, a transfer from Mississippi State, has averaged 16.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. The 6-foot-8 swingman is shooting 42.1 percent from three-point range on 4.8 triple-tries per game and could offer Orlando more scoring from the wings.

With the league's third-worst record, Orlando could pick no worse than sixth in June if that standing holds. Given the depth of talent in the forthcoming Draft, the Magic stand an excellent chance of adding a gifted prospect to its pool of young talent.