Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas firmly believes the Orlando Magic made a mistake with the No. 6 pick in the recently concluded rookie draft.

For those who missed it, the Magic selected Arkansas basketball standout Anthony Black with the sixth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It was quite a surprise since they already have a couple of point guard in Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, though it's really hard to say no to a player with Black's talent. He's a true point guard, and he could fit really well alongside the duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Arenas, however, wasn't a big fan of the pick. According to him, the Magic could have taken Emoni Bates instead. After all, they already have a solid guard lineup, and with Bates joining their young core, they could be deadlier offensively.

“Who you gonna take with the No. 6 pick Orlando? BATES! Him, Paolo [Banchero], and the two guards I got? Man, come on, man,” Arenas said as he expressed his disappointment over the pick.

Gilbert Arenas clearly likes what Emoni Bates brings to the offense. There's no doubt that he can score, and that much has been proven with his 19.2 points average in 29 games with Eastern Michigan in 2022-23.

However, to be fair to the Magic, it's not only them who passed on Bates. He actually fell to the second round before the Cleveland Cavaliers took him at 49th overall. Aside from his struggles and injury history with Memphis (before he transferred to Eastern Michigan), his off-court issues–highlighted by a shocking arrest over felony gun charges–were also a major factor in his slide.

The Magic certainly made a good move on picking the surer bet instead of taking a gamble on Bates. Of course hopes are high that Bates proves his doubters wrong, though it's understandable why Orlando wants no part of him.