Magnay lining up NBA return?

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Damian Martin says if Will Magnay continues his current form, he could push himself back into the sights of NBA scouts.

It’s only taken seven games of a fit-again Will Magnay for tongues to start wagging about the NBA-level skillset of the 25-year-old center.

Magnay had a small taste of life in the NBA when he signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2020, before injuries and Covid restricted his time with the Pelicans and Erie BayHawks. He played just 10 times for the G-League side and three minutes for the Pelicans.

Some of Magnay’s numbers in NBL24 have been, quite frankly, ridiculous, and his 17-point, 10-rebound, four-block performance in under 20 minutes against Perth in Round 11 has loudened calls for him to be injected into the JackJumpers' starting lineup.

Magnay played 15 games for Perth following his release from the Pelicans, and Wildcats legend Damian Martin believes the former NBL Most Improved Player should be targeting another NBA opportunity.

“He was super close to getting a contract in the NBA, had a taste of it and got a few minutes when he got called up, and then he came back here and got a few injuries,” Martin said on SEN WA.

“We thought he was going to be the next big thing with the Wildcats, ‘how do you replace Nick Kay? How do you replace John Mooney? We had Will Magnay coming in’.

“We didn’t see his best basketball as a Wildcat, but now he’s getting back to where he was before all these injuries.

“He is a superstar and if he can play out the rest of the season like what we saw on the weekend, I have no doubt he’s going to be playing at least Summer League in the NBA.”

Magnay and the JackJumpers take on the Illawarra Hawks at 5:30pm AEDT.