Just 10 days after welcoming six-year veteran Desmond Bane to town after a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Orlando Magic continue to build on their campaign to improve their shooting by selecting Jase Richardson out of Michigan State with the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

The sweetheart storyline heading into the draft for many fans in Central Florida was that hometown hero Walter Clayton Jr. could fall to Orlando in the order so the local hero could continue his basketball career at home after helping the Florida Gators win an NCAA title. After those hopes were dashed by the Southeast Division rival Washington Wizards at pick 18, the Magic pulled the trigger to acquire Richardson.

In a season where his Spartans made it to NCAA March Madness before losing to top-seeded Auburn in their Regional Final as the #2 seed, Richardson averaged 12.1 points per game with 1.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game featuring a field goal percentage of 49% with 41% from three-point range as a one-and-done player. Combine that with his ability to attack the basic while being a solid on-ball defender, and he’s the kind of talent that fits in with what this Magic team has been under head coach Jamahl Mosley.

While the focus of the team will still be star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, a player like Richardson is a guy who could provide a boost when opposing teams collapse on Banchero and offer an opportunity for an easy assist for an open shot from beyond the arc.

The main knock on Richardson is that he is somewhat undersized to be a point guard, but considering Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black are already on the roster and likely to fill that role, it would appear that the 1st-round pick’s main role on the court would be to make the NBA’s worst three-point shooting team last year more dynamic on offense.