Tag: Jeff Weltman

Jeff Weltman told the Orlando Sentinel …

Jeff Weltman told the Orlando Sentinel that the Magic spent time with Banchero during the NBA’s mid-May draft combine in Chicago. “We’ve seen Paolo so many times,” Weltman told the Orlando Sentinel. “We’ve had so many touch points with him. We got to spend a lot of time with him in different facets. We got all of the data points we asked him to provide for us. We had everything we needed to feel we’re making a well-rounded decision.”

Jabari Smith remains favorite to be drafted No. 1 overall

As far as I can tell, as of Wednesday morning, Jabari Smith remains the favorite to come off the board at No. 1 to Orlando. Due to the silence the Magic have successfully projected to the rest of the NBA, this can’t be treated as an absolute …

As far as I can tell, as of Wednesday morning, Jabari Smith remains the favorite to come off the board at No. 1 to Orlando. Due to the silence the Magic have successfully projected to the rest of the NBA, this can’t be treated as an absolute certainty, but it’s become a strong hunch shared by most around the league. Magic boss Jeff Weltman is thought by many to have a soft spot for Chet Holmgren, but most expect Orlando will land on Smith, who for what it’s worth is my top-rated prospect and the player I’d take at No. 1.
Source: Jeremy Woo @ Sports Illustrated

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

David Hardisty @clutchfans
My guess is by morning we will get a Woj or Shams tweet confirming Orlando will take Jabari Smith #1 overall. OKC will stay tight-lipped but it will be “expected” they go Chet and the Rockets Paolo.
I think it’s going to be as simple as we expected it to be post-lottery. – 12:58 PM
Khobi Price @khobi_price
First poll: May 22
Second: June 2
Third: June 16
Jabari Smith Jr. remained the preferred option at No. 1 and has only gained traction in that regard since mid-May.
A little over 30 hours away until we’ll officially know who the No. 1 pick is. pic.twitter.com/3Jshbt12nR – 12:56 PM

The Ringer @ringernba
Two of the biggest Magic fans we know (@bykevinclark and @Ceruti) explain to @Kevin O’Connor why they want their beloved team to pick Chet Holmgren over Jabari Smith Jr.
📼: https://t.co/Alr68hmf7j pic.twitter.com/aYLKvG7V6L – 12:38 PM

Jeremy Woo @JeremyWoo
Today’s daily cover @SInow: The case for Jabari Smith. Don’t overthink it. si.com/nba/2022/06/22… – 9:32 AM
Rylan Stiles @Rylan_Stiles
Athletic Mock just dropped a mock which has OKC getting Jabari Smith Jr (or Chet Holmgren if Smith Jr is taken first) and AJ Griffin. A+. Also notes OKC attempting to move up. pic.twitter.com/qRmpujA50b – 7:46 AM

Tony Mejia @MejiaDinero
A lot of bettors are convinced the Orlando Magic are selecting Paolo Banchero ahead of Jabari Smith with the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s #NBADraft. Check out how the betting markets are shaping up:
gamingtoday.com/news/nba-draft… – 6:34 PM
David Hardisty @clutchfans
Jeremy Woo is a big Jabari Smith proponent so he doesn’t think the first pick is a hard decision at all. He thinks Chet may get some looks but it would be a big surprise to him if Orlando takes anyone but Jabari. – 4:37 PM
Henry Abbott @TrueHoop
Every Spring I ask @David Thorpe who he’d pick high in the NBA draft. Usually he says he’d trade down.
This year, more than ever.
But if he had to pick, his order:
1. Jabari Smith
2. Jaden Ivey
3. Paolo Banchero
4. Chet Holmgren. truehoop.com/p/truehoop-202… – 3:38 PM
Khobi Price @khobi_price
🧵: Over the last several weeks, we’ve been doing pre-draft profiles at @orlandosports (orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando…)
Shifting the focus to who the Magic could take at the top, starting with who’s believed to be the favorite to be drafted No. 1: Jabari Smith
orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando… – 1:19 PM

More on this storyline

 

With the No. 1 pick Thursday night, league executives widely project Auburn forward Jabari Smith to be the Magic’s choice. Among Smith and fellow top prospects Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero, Smith and his representatives have long expressed the most enthusiasm about joining the Magic, sources told B/R. Holmgren’s and Banchero’s camps have operated with greater desires to land elsewhere, according to league personnel familiar with both players. While Holmgren visited Orlando, it’s believed the Gonzaga product and his representatives would prefer to land with the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 2, as they view the Thunder as having a stronger infrastructure to support Holmgren’s development. Holmgren has only collaborated with Orlando and Oklahoma City during predraft activity, sources said. The same goes for Smith. -via Bleacher Report / June 21, 2022

 

NBA Communications: The 2022 NBA Draft …

Jeff Weltman: Wendell Carter has established himself as a top ten center

Jeff Weltman: I think that Wendell Carter Jr. has already established himself this season as a top ten center. Wendell’s numbers reflect tremendous growth, but his game isn’t reflected by his numbers. This is a guy, who everything that he does is about winning – on the court, off the court. Tremendous young guy. Just turned twenty-three. His future is entirely in front of him and all that he does is lift his teammates up, on the court (and) off the court.

We knew this wasn’t going to be a …

We knew this wasn’t going to be a season in which a very young team would win a bunch of games. With that in mind, how do you as the team president judge this season? Was it a success?” Jeff Weltman: “Yeah. I think we accomplished a lot of our goals. We established a way of working and I’m going to say that was in large part due to our head coach (Jamahl Mosley) and coaching staff, who just did a great job keeping our guys elevated, and believing, and every day, man, every day, Mike, just showed up. If you’d of seen us practice at any point in the season, regardless of record, you would just be amazed at the spirit, and the energy, and the belief, and the togetherness that was felt throughout the whole group – on the court, off the court, organizationally.

Jeff Weltman: I can tell you that we …

Jeff Weltman: I can tell you that we studied a lot of rebuilds throughout the last twenty years of the NBA before we embarked on this path. Obviously, there is never a guarantee that you turn that corner. And that’s always the risk. But there’s also a risk in keeping a group together that doesn’t feel like it has the momentum to really break through to another level. I believe that it’s all in the relationships. It’s all in the work. It’s all in the character of the players and the connectivity of the coaches to the players. So, those are obviously elements that we have our antenna up for. But, no, I don’t believe that that’s going to happen to us.

The Orlando Magic have signed guard …

The Orlando Magic have signed guard Devin Cannady, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed. Cannady (6’1”, 190, 5/21/96) was signed to a 10-day contract by Orlando on March 31. He has played in four games, averaging 8.8 ppg., 2.0 apg., 1.5 rpg. and 1.25 stlpg. in 27.8 minpg., while shooting .393 (11-28) from three-point range. Before signing his 10-day contract, Cannady appeared in 16 games (11 starts) this season with Lakeland of the NBA G League, averaging 15.8 ppg., 2.8 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 26.5 minpg., while shooting .468 (59-126) from three-point range and .957 (22-23) from the free throw line.