Izaiyah Nelson’s path to the NBA already has a little extra meaning built into it. The Magic rookie grew up visiting Orlando often because his great grandma lived there, and now the team that drafted him No. 51 overall last month is the one handing him his first real shot.
That moment hit Nelson hard.
“It was very emotional,” Nelson said recently about being selected by Orlando. “Having them pick and me coming here as a kid growing up all the time, it was just like, ‘Dang, I’m actually playing for the Orlando Magic.’
“I would have never thought this dream would come true,” he added.
The 6-foot-10 forward is set to wear a Magic jersey for the first time this week at Summer League in Las Vegas, where Orlando opens Thursday night against the Hornets. For Nelson, it’s the next step in a rise that picked up real momentum during one season at the University of South Florida.
At USF, he helped push the Bulls back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. He also stacked up a clean sweep of American Athletic Conference honors, winning Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year after transferring from Arkansas State.
Magic Summer League coach DJ Bakker said the production comes with a player whose approach jumps off the page.
“First of all, his competitiveness and his motor are off the charts,” Bakker said. “(He’s) always talking, always asking questions (and has) great eye contact.
(He’s a) great screener (and) loves physicality. When a player has that type of a makeup and that type of a DNA, you feel comfortable going into battle with them.
“Like all rookies, we’re learning terminology, we’re learning style of play and what that looks like,” Bakker added. “But (I’m) really impressed with who he is as a human being and his DNA and makeup as a player.”
Nelson, a Marietta, Ga., native, said the work he puts in has always been part of the story, and it was something that kept coming up on draft night.
“I take a lot of pride in it because in the game of basketball, you have to work,” Nelson said. “If you’re not working, you don’t love the game.
And one thing about me, I love basketball. I’m going to do anything to continue to play basketball for the rest of the my life.”
The next challenge is turning that edge into staying power at the pro level. Nelson signed a two-year, two-way contract, the kind of deal that often comes with late second-round picks. He’ll share Orlando’s two-way spots with center Colin Castleton and forward Alex Morales.
That arrangement means time split between the NBA and G League, with a cap of 50 active NBA games and no playoff eligibility. Nelson isn’t treating it like a limitation.
“It definitely does make me a lot more hungry,” he said of his two-way contract. “It’s nothing new to me.
I’ve always been (overlooked) so it’s just like, ‘Why let this two-way stop me now?’ Once it’s my opportunity, I know what I can do.
… When I have the opportunity, I’m going to show everybody why I should be in the NBA.”
He’ll get that first chance in Las Vegas, where the spotlight shifts from draft-night emotion to game action. New Magic coach Sean Sweeney isn’t running the Summer League team, but he has already talked with Nelson about what he wants to see.
Nelson’s answer is simple: stay true to what got him here.
“Just going out there, not trying to be somebody that I’m not,” Nelson said. “I know what I came here for, I know why they picked me and that’s what I’m going to do.
I’m going to do everything. All of the little things.
Everybody that nobody wanted to do - I’m out there doing it.
“I’m going to just show everybody who I am.”
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Washington has bounced around enough to know how thin the margin can be, but Summer League offers a cleaner stage to make his case. If he plays well enough, the next step could be more than just another week of evaluation, with a training camp invite and a chance to keep pushing for a roster spot hanging in the balance. For a Magic team sorting through backcourt depth, that makes him one of the more interesting names to watch in Las Vegas. [Read more 🡒]
LeBron Buzz Just Turned Up The Pressure On The Magic
The Eastern Conference has a way of reshuffling itself before the season even starts, and the latest LeBron James buzz is another reminder of how steep the climb can be for Orlando. ESPN insider Shams Charania has identified the Cavaliers, Heat and 76ers as the leading candidates to land James, a development that would only add more weight to a playoff race already packed with established contenders and teams trying to rise fast.
For the Magic, the timing matters because their biggest offseason headline has been hiring Sean Sweeney as head coach, a move aimed at sharpening the group and pushing it forward in a crowded conference. Orlando still has to prove it can keep pace with the Easts heavy hitters, and if one of those LeBron suitors gets the final piece, the margin for error gets even thinner. [Read more 🡒]