NBA Talent Rankings: How the Timberwolves stack up against other young teams (Part Two)

NBA Talent Rankings – Part Two

Welcome to Part Two of DWW’s NBA Talent Rankings. Part One, including the explanation for the rankings as well as teams ranked from #10 through #6, can be found here.

Without further adieu, here are the rankings from #5 through #1.

Apr 11, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) goes for a layup in the first half as the Washington Wizards beat the Magic 96-86 at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

5.  Orlando Magic

Magicians: Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris

Apprentices: Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton, Mo Harkless

Disappearing Acts: Andrew Nicholson, Evan Fournier

The Orlando Magic are loaded. And they’ve landed themselves in fifth-place in our NBA Talent Rankings.

Now, whether they’re full of gusto or full of Schick razor blades remains to be seen. Jacque Vaughn has a roster full of athletes that if developed properly should come together to make the Magic one of the most ferocious defensive squads in the league. But at the very least they should be an exciting transition team that really gets after it on both ends of the floor.

Victor Oladipo, last year’s number-two overall pick, had a very solid rookie season. Oladipo finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Philly’s Michael Carter-Williams, averaging just under 14 points to go along with 4 boards and 4 dimes. He’s a terrific athlete with an incredible work ethic, so expect his numbers only to go up in the coming seasons.

The Magic can also count on solid production from center Nikola Vucevic and forward Tobias Harris. Vucevic is a seven-foot double-double machine with a physical presence and a soft touch with the ball in his hands, and Harris is scorer who can fill it up in a variety of ways. Tobias has just a little Carmelo Anthony to his game.

Then there are the two lottery picks Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton. While it’s unclear what they will provide in terms of production next season, we know they should bring plenty in terms of athleticism and defense. Gordon is a freak athlete who’ll get plenty of chase down blocks and steals, and Payton is coming off a college season where he was the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, so expect big plays from him as well.