Most people expect the Magic to select Scottie Barnes at 5 but it would be a mistake to pass up on Jonathan Kuminga. At 6'8" 210 pounds, 18-year-old Jonathan Kuminga already possesses the frame to be a next-level NBA player. He spent this past season with the G-League Ignite and averaged a cut under 16 points per game to go along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and roughly one steal, block per game. He only shot 25% from three in his first professional season but his form is repeatable (as demonstrated at combine workouts) and showed he isn't afraid to shoot by attempting 5 threes per game. I expect Kuminga to work on his game, become a better defender, and ultimately profile as that two-way threat who can play the 3 or the 4. The idea of combining Kuminga and Jonathan Isaac's length intrigues me. Kuminga's game is still relatively raw but he already does a lot of things fairly well.
This seems like the type of player that would justify the Jamahl Mosley hire. Considering Mosley's player development skills, it would be a perfect situation for Kuminga. Scottie Barnes might be the "safer" pick but Kuminga's ceiling feels too high to pass up. It is imperative that the Magic come out of this draft with a potential impact player as opposed to a starter. If they take Barnes, I won't have a problem with it but I think the reward outweighs the risk when it comes to the Congolese product.
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