Evaluating Kyle O'Quinn

Part of making a successful pick in any NBA Draft is getting good value from your selection. And the Orlando Magic certainly got value out of Kyle O'Quinn, whom they selected with the 49th overall pick in 2012. Of the 11 players selected after O'Quinn, none played in as many games or logged as many minutes.

And O'Quinn was more than a simple minutes sponge for the Magic: he made the most of his limited floor time, posting per-36-minute averages of 13.1 points, 11.8 boards, 2.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks. He may never develop into a full-time starter, but O'Quinn demonstrated that he can contribute off the bench. And from a late second-rounder, that's about the best anyone can hope for.

O'Quinn doesn't have dynamite athleticism, but he compensates for that with great effort and a nose for the ball; fans selected him as the team's Hustle Player of the Year for precisely that reason.

What makes O'Quinn valuable is that his hustle translates to productivity: his hard play results in rebounds and blocks, contributions that one can measure. He's also headier than one might expect, with an assist rate of 13.1 percent, which ranks highly among players of his size.

O'Quinn will probably never be more than an emergency option on offense, but that's OK: the Magic don't need him to fill a larger role than he already does. So long as he makes about 40 percent of his jumpers, hits the boards, and defends his position, he's doing his job.

The Magic locked up O'Quinn on a contract which pays him just above the league minimum. It's fair to expect him to continue playing a similar role as that contract wears on, in which case Rob Hennigan and his front-office team made an excellent selection.

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