By the time the Orlando Magic got Darko Milicic during the 2006 season, many NBA teams were ready to give up on the former second overall pick.
The Detroit Pistons had turned him into a “human victory cigar” and rarely played the talented big man. And when they did, they did not play him in a way that took advantage of his shooting and passing. Darko Milicic at his best probably resembled more Nikola Jokic today than the bigs that roamed the NBA in the early 2000s. He was perhaps a bit before his time.