The Orlando Magic selected former Michigan forward Caleb Houstan with the 32nd pick in Thursday's NBA Draft.
Houstan joins No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, as rookies with the Magic. Orlando is a young team with two first-round picks last year already in the starting lineup in Jalen Suggs and former Wolverine Franz Wagner, who Houstan replaced in the 2021-22 season.
The Magic have centered their rebuild around bigger, more athletic prospects who are versatile in how they score with the ability to defend multiple positions.
Michigan fans are familiar with last year's Rookie of the Year finalist, Franz Wagner, a 6-foot-10 small forward that can play like a two-guard or a stretch four. With the first selection in this draft, Orlando added Paolo Banchero, a 6-foot-10 power forward who can do everything from run point to post up down low like a true- center.
Houstan is a 3-and-D wing, a skillset that drives so much of the NBA currently. In high school and international competition, Houstan showed flashes of being a player that could create and drive the lane, but at Michigan, that never came to fruition. Time will show if he can grow that part of his game. For now, Orlando is loaded with on-the-ball talent and if Houstan can be an off-the-ball player who can hit a high percentage of three-pointers, he will find a role with the Magic.
Where Houstan fits with the initial depth chart is interesting because the long-term goal is to be an in-between for the other two star forwards. Banchero will likely replace Jonathon Isaac, a power forward who has missed the past two seasons dealing with an ACL injury. Behind Wagner is 31-year-old Terrence Ross, a veteran who contributed solid minutes to the Magic last year.
Houstan's first row of competition is two former Wolverines in Ignas Brazdeikis and Mo Wagner, Franz's brother.
Both players have very different skill sets from Houstan. Brazdeikis is a more physical small forward with limited range, while Wagner is an undersized center playing power forward. So while there are other players in front of Houstan, there isn't a spot-up three-point shooter that is so viable in today's NBA.
Houstan will likely start his NBA career in Lakeland with the Magic's G-League affiliate. His different skill set could help him get into the Magic's top 15, but Orlando will likely want him to get more consistent with his shooting, something he struggled with in college.
If he can start to develop that shot-creator part of his game, he could accelerate his time, but Orlando is in the early stages of the growth of their team, and Houstan is a long-term investment. The path is there, and he has the talent -- time and development will determine Houstan's long-term potential in the league.
On paper, it feels like he landed in a good spot.
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