The NBA Draft is nearly upon us, so what better time to gauge the Orlando Pinstriped Post community's ranking of favorite prospects? That's right: the OPP community Draft board has returned.
Orlando Magic fans voted Wednesday and Thursday, in an exceptionally close race, for Kentucky big man Trey Lyles to place 12th on the board.
In his freshman season, Lyles served as the Wildcats' third big, behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein. Playing behind them may have affected his numbers and role, but he nonetheless posted 8.7 points, 5.2 boards, and 1.1 assists per game at just 19 years old.
Lyles doesn't protect the rim--he blocked just 16 shots in 828 minutes--nor does he space the floor, so his fit with Orlando's roster is questionable at best; it seems to me the Magic need their power forward to be proficient in at least one of those areas.
But the closeness of the vote, which necessitated a runoff contest Thursday, underscores the parity of the candidates at this juncture of the big-boarding process. Over two days, Lyles edged Bobby Portis and Devin Booker by four and three votes, respectively. Those two players figure to be the next ones chosen.
In the poll attached to this post, please vote for the NBA Draft prospect who should rank 13th on the Magic's Draft board.
Having reiterated the rules, let's vote! The poll closes at midnight Saturday. We'll reveal the winner and keep the voting rolling daily as often as we can leading up to the Draft on June 25th.
