For a 51st overall NBA draft pick, USF's Izaiyah Nelson is drawing strong reviews

Normally, the bottom part of the NBA draft's second round is not must-see TV. The big names are long since off the board and teams are mostly looking for someone who can contribute off the bench.

But after the Orlando Magic worked a trade with Washington to acquire USF forward Izaiyah Nelson with a second round pick -- 51st overall -- the reaction seemed to believe the Magic had acquired someone who might be more than situational help.

No one is pretending that Nelson will immediately turn the league on its ear, but as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports noted, "Nelson is the kind of player you should get at 51 — good athlete, good size (6'8"), can defend multiple positions, but he needs to work on his feel for the game. If the Magic can develop that then this becomes a great pick."

Nelson became a Magic man as part of a 3-way trade involving Washington and Milwaukee.

As part of the deal, Washington acquired the draft rights to Felix Okpara (46th overall) and Milwaukee acquired the draft rights to Malique Lewis (60th overall).

Convention al wisdom is that Orlando needed to nab a strong shooter with the pick because lack the Magic's lack of offense was a priority need. But it wasn't the only need.

"This is a guy that makes so many invisible plays," president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman told OrlandoMagic.com.

"He gets you so many extra possessions. Great offensive rebounder, runner, hit-first guy. All the things he does are about winning. I don't know how he's going to fill out a box score, but I know he's going to make a team better. That's really all that matters, and he knows that."

And as Orlando Magic Daily noted, "It is easy to focus on his lack of perimeter shooting or play (he shot 7-for-49 from three last season), but it is easy to forget that Nelson's energy and rim protection are vital for the Magic, too. He is a pure-energy player whom the Magic believe can find them hidden possessions and make winning plays."

Those of us who saw Nelson lead USF to the American Conference regular season and tournament championships can attest Weltman's point about those "invisible plays."

Nelson wasn't a flashy player, and maybe we cringed a little bit when he would launch a deep 3 from the corner, but if there was a loose ball, he was on it. If the Bulls needed a block on defense, he provided it.

Because the Bulls aren't in a power conference, Nelson's play didn't get the respect it was due around the country. If he had played in the SEC or Big Ten, he would have had a strong case to be an All American. In fact, he DID have a strong case for that, but the American is often dismissed with a wave of the hand by the learned hoop intelligencia.

But then Nelson went to the NBA draft combine and made a splash. The splash got bigger at the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

That opened even more eyes.

Orlando's opened the widest.

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