2021 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: How the picks should fall
C. Orlando Magic. Kai Jones. 5. player. 38.
2021 NBA Mock Draft — 5. Kai Jones, Orlando Magic
The Magic have a nice collection of young talent and clearly have a vision for the forthcoming rebuild. That said, with two top-10 picks in hand, this is as good a time as any for Orlando to invest in its trademark archetype — long, athletic, high-upside, two-way players. Enter Kai Jones of Texas.
No player outside the top-3 has a ceiling comparable to Jones, who can already do things most 7-footers dare not dream of. He’s a gazelle in the open-court, with elite speed and mobility for a player his size. In the halfcourt, we have seen flashes of pull-up shooting and dynamic finishes from Jones. He is still a work in progress, and it will take a few years of nurturing from the developmental staff, but Jones is worth the wait. Orlando will not compete any time soon.
Jones has the upside of a legitimate All-Star. He can give Orlando the kind of franchise-changing talent that is not currently present on the roster. Defensively, Jones can switch all over the floor and wreak havoc in passing lanes, or as a rim protector. Again, it will take time, but the 20-year-old is too unique a prospect to pass up.