The Detroit Pistons will be drafting 15th overall in this year’s draft. Should the Pistons select Fletcher Magee?
Thanks to James Edwards of The Athletic, I have been able to get a glimpse at some aspiring NBA rookies that the Detroit Pistons have tried to get to know better. Among those names, Fletcher Magee jumped off the paper. It’s widely considered a ding on a draft prospect’s resume when he is from a smaller conference school. The play is assumedly less competitive, plainly stated.
Fletcher Magee was a product of the Southern conference as a Wofford basketball player who benefited from additional showcases during March Madness. Most recently, Magee’s resourcefulness beyond the three-point line enjoyed spotlight as he broke the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball record for career three-point shots. The magical number to clip was 504, previously set in place by former Oakland University shooter Travis Baden. He ended his career with 509. Magee has a long-range pistol. That’s a fact.
Yet, with Detroit Pistons’ three-point field goal woes, I’m not so sure Fletcher Magee is the answer as draft pick 15 or even a second-round pick at 45.
Magee’s ability to shoot the three-pointer is a multi-dimensional characteristic. It’s not as simple as his three-point percentage, which landed at a solid 41.9 percent per game by his senior season. When assessing Fletcher Magee as a prospect, you must check the technique.
In the Wofford standout’s performance against the Seton Hall Pirates in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, his arsenal of out-of-position, quick-trigger, rapid-set three-pointers was on full display.
Magee’s feet are almost consistently facing a different direction than the basket when he catches the ball. In some instances, this can be attributed to his off-the-ball movement and misdirection. The hop in his shot allows him to properly set his stroke and drill the bucket and his quick release makes him that much more lethal from distance.
The and-one three-pointer that Fletcher Magee hit deep into the first half of the contest against the Pirates breathes air into the shooter’s ability to create space and operate away from the rock. His quick change of direction forces distance between himself and the defender, which leads to the big coming under the screen late to a bad perimeter challenge.
Contact means nothing as Magee fluently hits the three-pointer and draws the foul.
Not everything’s roses with Magee, though. Every great shooter comes with a flaw and Fletcher’s rests in his defense and his reaction to good defense. In Wofford’s loss to the John Calipari’s Wildcats, Kentucky – specifically a 6’5 Tyler Herro – forced the senior to put the ball on the floor and made him uncomfortable around the perimeter.
He made zero of his three-point shots in the game. Fletcher is no one-trick pony, offensively, but when defenses put the right amount of pressure on him, some of those long-range strokes appear to be poor shot selection and it takes away from his impact on the game.
His defensive effort is another knock on an otherwise impressive NBA draft prospect. After an interview with the Lakers, the rookie-to-be admitted that teams want to see him execute more effort on the defensive end of the ball. This means that NBA executives at least want to see a willing defender in Magee.
With NBA conditioning comes versatility, stamina and an on-court IQ that college basketball players have yet to develop. So, it’s not completely fair to Fletcher Magee’s draft stock if we just hang a towel on that area in his game. He has poor instincts when he defends the pick-and-roll. Other times, his lack of athleticism and quickness counts against him.
Where more athletic players can recover from small errs and spring themselves back into a solid defensive position, Magee will have to double his effort against opposing NBA guards to complement his lack thereof.
Fletcher Magee is one of the best shooters in the 2019 NBA Draft class, so the Detroit Pistons undoubtedly have an eye on him. Hopefully, it’s a fleeting glance. Magee’s offensive game is so mesmerizing, but with the Pistons in the middle of restructuring the organization – and prominent player development issues in the recent past – I don’t think it’s time to take on such a project with the number 15 pick or in the second round with the 45th pick.