<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/magic-biggest-concern-anthony-black-2023-nba-summer-league-performance');   ga('set', 'title', 'Magic’s biggest concern about Anthony Black after 2023 NBA Summer League performance');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Magic_s-biggest-concern-about-Anthony-Black-after-2023-NBA-Summer-League-performance.jpeg"></figure><h1>Magic’s biggest concern about Anthony Black after 2023 NBA Summer League performance</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-18T07:20:15-07:00">July 18th, 7:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-18T07:20:15-07:00">July 18th, 7:20am</time><address><a>Tim Crean</a>Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined ClutchPoints in 2022. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL, NBA, soccer, sports media, and more. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie, it is a dream to write about sports professionally. He’s a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York and when he’s not enjoying a round of golf he's probably coaching youth soccer or flag football. You can catch all of his sports-related musings on Twitter at @twcrean.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Anthony Black and the Orlando Magic are now done with 2023 NBA Summer League, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-biggest-things-learned-2023-nba-summer-league" rel="noopener">we’ve learned some things</a>. The supersized point guard showed off many of the skills that made him <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/anthony-black-magic-no-6-pick-2023-nba-draft" rel="noopener">the No. 6 pick</a> in the NBA Draft. However, he also showed his biggest weakness when it comes to shooting the ball and did nothing to show the Magic that’s not still a concern.</p><h2><b>The Magic’s biggest concern about Anthony Black after 2023 NBA Summer League is his shooting</b></h2><p>Former Arkansas freshman Anthony Black played three Magic NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas and showed a lot of talent and potential. The 6-foot-7 point guard had the ball in his hands a lot during the three games he played, and he ran the offense (albeit a watered-down one) like a pro.</p><p>In the end, Black averaged 11.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game <a href="https://www.nba.com/2023-summer-league-vegas-player-stats?CF=GP*E*3&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=REB">in Las Vegas</a>. And this highlights all the special things he can do.</p><p>Black is a traditional point guard in a big NBA wing’s body. His rebounding was incredible from the point guard position, and his assists numbers were respectable as well when taking into account the level of players he was playing with. The ways he scored his 33 points were impressive, too. He bullied and bodied smaller guards down to the hoop and scored with ease at times.</p><p>Defensively, he was excellent, too. At his size, he can guard four or even five positions on the floor at most times, making him incredibly switchable and versatile. He has active hands and feet on defense as well as excellent instincts, which led to his six steals.</p><p>Overall, these three games showed what Black can do at the next level and had to make Magic brass, coaching staff, and fans excited for what will happen when the former Razorback gets on the floor with the likes of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.</p><p>All that said, what was true before the Magic drafted Anthony Black is, unsurprisingly still true. He can’t shoot.</p><p>In the modern NBA, shooting seems to be the most valuable commodity. It obviously puts points on the board, which helps to win games, but even the threat of shooting is what spaces the floor and allows players more room to operate offensively. To be a top team, you need to have shooting from almost every position and to be a top player, you need to have at least the threat of the 3-ball.</p><p>Black and the Magic have neither of these things.</p><p>The rookie point guard isn’t a great shooter, and he showed that in NBA Summer League out in Las Vegas. During his three games in the tournament, Black shot 1-of-6 from deep for a 16.7% 3-point percentage. The one he made was a falling-down bank shot he hit while getting fouled. He missed that free throw and went 6-of-11 from the line in Vegas for a 54.5% free throw percentage.</p><p>Those aren’t great shooting numbers. In college Black shot 30.1% from behind the arc and 70.5% from the line. During his high school career in Texas, he shot in the low 60s from the charity stripe.</p><p>Black is not a good shooter, and that is the biggest remaining concern for the Magic coming out of NBA Summer League. The team needs shooting desperately, and putting more non-outside shooters on the floor will be difficult. The team finished 25th in the league last season in 3-point percentage, hitting just 34.6% of their shots from behind the arc.</p><p>Orlando tried to address that with the No. 11 pick in the NBA Draft, taking Michigan wing Jett Howard. That’s a good start, but the team needs more shooting all around the floor.</p><p>How much of a problem Black’s lack of shooting will be in the league remains to be seen. Once he gets on the court with his real teammates, that will become clearer.</p><p>On the one hand, his ability to drive to the net, post up, and play-make may make his inability to shoot less of an issue. However, several (if not all) of those skills are dependent on floor spacing, and he may not get much on Orlando.</p><p>Also, while it may not happen his rookie year, there is a chance Black will improve as a shooter, even though the underlying free throw numbers (which are often indicators) don’t suggest he will.</p><p>The most famous example of a PG who couldn’t shoot until later in his career is Jason Kidd. The Hall of Famer played 19 years in the league, and for the first half of his career, he shot in the high 20s to low 30s for 3-point percentage. In the latter stages, he hit in the high 30s or even low 40s percentage-wise.</p><p>Anthony Black may not be Jason Kidd, but if he can follow his lead when it comes to shooting, he could alleviate the Magic’s biggest concern about him after his 2023 NBA Summer League performance.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Magic’s biggest concern about Anthony Black after 2023 NBA Summer League performance

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/magic-news-anthony-black-brutally-honest-summer-league-performance');   ga('set', 'title', 'Magic rookie Anthony Black gets brutally honest on Summer League performance');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/magic-news-anthony-black-gets-brutally-honest-on-summer-league-performance.jpg"></figure><h1>Magic rookie Anthony Black gets brutally honest on Summer League performance</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-17T14:58:26-07:00">July 17th, 2:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-17T14:58:26-07:00">July 17th, 2:58pm</time><address><a>Quenton Albertie</a>Quenton Albertie is an author and sportswriter with a focus on the NBA. A native of Fort Hood, TX, Albertie currently lives in Atlanta, GA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Orlando Magic <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/a-nightmare-could-anthony-black-have-been-football-star" rel="noopener">rookie guard Anthony Black</a> has the opportunity to be a franchise cornerstone in South Florida. However, after a stellar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-biggest-concern-jett-howard-after-2023-nba-summer-league-performance" rel="noopener">2023 NBA Summer League</a> debut, the 19-year-old ran into a bit of a wall offensively.</p><p>Averaging 11.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 28.4 minutes per game in the Las Vegas Summer League, Black routinely proved himself to be a two-way playmaker that made great reads on both ends. Nonetheless, his perimeter shooting needs work with him shooting just 1-6 (16.7 percent) from 3 across three games.</p><p>Speaking to reporters about what he would like to improve during the offseason, Black says “probably my strength because I feel like if I can get stronger than people, I’ll have an advantage, especially on both ends.”</p><p>“On offense, ball-handling, scoring, really everything on offense. I know defensive kind of just comes naturally so work on the full arsenal offensively…”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anthony Black on what he’s looking to improve on during the offseason:</p><p>“My strength, because, I feel like if I can get stronger then people I’ll have an advantage especially on both ends. On offense, ball-handling, scoring, really everything on offense” <a href="https://t.co/TSuONya3sC">pic.twitter.com/TSuONya3sC</a></p><p>— Fawzan Amer (@FawzanAmer_) <a href="https://twitter.com/FawzanAmer_/status/1680386918649851904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Black <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/magics-anthony-black-you-either-have-the-feel-of-passing-or-you-dont/" rel="noopener">echoes those sentiments</a> in an interview with HoopsHype’s Sam Yip, saying “in Game 1, I was out there getting bumped around, but I feel like once my strength gets to where it probably needs to be in a couple of years, I feel like I’ll be a better player on both sides of the ball, especially on defense, being able to guard the biggest, taller wings.”</p><p>Detailing his work on his jumper since joining the Orlando Magic, Black admits that he’s been altering his shooting form in an effort to boost his efficiency.</p><p>“I didn’t change it at all at Arkansas,” Black says, “but since the last probably month or three weeks, I’ve just been trying to release it a little high.”</p><p>” I feel like it takes the pressure off my arm and it makes it more like a wrist [action]. So definitely just a high release point. Trying to get my footwork up to speed as best as it can be.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Magic rookie Anthony Black gets brutally honest on Summer League performance

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/magic-summer-league-anthony-black-jett-howard-reactions-vegas-opener');   ga('set', 'title', '3 Anthony Black, Jett Howard reactions from Magic Vegas Summer League opener');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Magic-Summer-League-X-Anthony-Black-Jett-Howard-reactions-from-Vegas-opener.jpeg"></figure><h1>3 Anthony Black, Jett Howard reactions from Magic Vegas Summer League opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-10T06:22:04-07:00">July 10th, 6:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-10T06:22:04-07:00">July 10th, 6:22am</time><address><a>Tim Crean</a>Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined ClutchPoints in 2022. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL, NBA, soccer, sports media, and more. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie, it is a dream to write about sports professionally. He’s a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York and when he’s not enjoying a round of golf he's probably coaching youth soccer or flag football. You can catch all of his sports-related musings on Twitter at @twcrean.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA Summer League is here, which means the Orlando Magic’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-2023-nba-draft-grades" rel="noopener">two first-round picks</a> in the 2023 NBA Draft, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/anthony-black-pro-player-comparisons-2023-nba-draft-prospect" rel="noopener">Arkansas point guard Anthony Black</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-big-mistake-2023-nba-draft" rel="noopener">Michigan wing Jett Howard</a>, made their professional debuts in Las Vegas. The Magic took on the Pistons and lost 89-78, but that doesn’t tell the tale of Black and Howard’s first impressions. To do that, here are three reactions to these rookies’ debuts at Magic Summer League.</p><h2><b>3. Anthony Black is going to have the ball in his hands all the time</b></h2><p>At first glance, Anthony Black is everything NBA scouts and draft pundits thought he would be. He is a supersized traditional point guard. At 6-foot-7, Black walks the ball up, runs the break, and conducts the offense like a jumbo Chris Paul.</p><p>Black was excellent in his Magic Summer League debut. His final <a href="https://statsdmz.nba.com/pdfs/20230708/20230708_DETORL_book.pdf" rel="noopener">stat line</a> was 27 minutes, 40 seconds played, 7-of-10 from the field, 1-of-2 from 3-point range, 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.</p><p>It wasn’t perfect by any means. He also had seven turnovers, which needs to come way down as his rookie season approaches. Still, Black was (tied as) the second-leading scorer in the game, and was one of only two Magic players (along with Tyler Hall, who played less than eight minutes) to have a positive plus/minus at +4.</p><p>The Pistons rolled out a lineup that could see starts together in the regular season with Marcus Sasser, Ausar Thompson, James Wiseman, Jalen Duren, and Jaden Ivey. On the Magic Summer League side, with Black, Jett Howard, Caleb Houstan, DJ Wilson, and Kevon Harris, Black may be the only significant player in the bunch.</p><p>With that in mind, Black’s performance was even more impressive playing with the Magic B team against an NBA-caliber lineup.</p><p>Ultimately, though, the big takeaway here was simply that Black is going to have the ball in his hands a lot next season. That is the type of player he is, and that’s who the Magic drafted him to be.</p><p>Orlando has a lot of guards, with Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, and Gary Harris. But none of them are the pure, facilitating point guards that Black is, and it is going to be a pleasure watching him run the offense in the regular season alongside Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.</p><h2><b>2. Jett Howard is going to be frustrating at times</b></h2><p>The No. 11 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Jett Howard, also got his debut at NBA Summer League, but he wasn’t as impressive as the player picked five spots ahead of him.</p><p>Howard finished the game playing 29 minutes and 26 seconds and shot 3-of-13 from the field, 2-of-7 from 3-point range, with eight points, two rebounds, four assists, and three steals. He was also tied for a game-worst -15 while he was on the floor.</p><p>In the end, it’s one NBA Summer League game, so it’s not time to pull the panic lever yet. Still, Howard didn’t look great, didn’t shoot great, and didn’t play great in this game. He also looked hesitant and times and even lost at points during the game, especially on defense.</p><p>And Howard has a smooth, easy game, which is fun to watch when things are going well. But when they’re not, it looks like he’s just floating through the game without giving maximum effort.</p><p>Howard’s rookie season will be dependent on his shooting. If he can become a double-digit scorer and shoot at least in the high 30s percentage from deep, he’ll have a solid year. If not, he could spend a lot of time on the bench. And that could become especially troubling if the sharpshooter the Magic passed on, Gradey Dick, has a good shooting rookie campaign with the Toronto Raptors.</p><h2><b>1. Both Black and Howard showed off the unheralded parts of their offensive games</b></h2><p>To end on a positive note, both Anthony Black and Jett Howard had some moments of brilliance in offensive areas they aren’t known for.</p><p>With Howard, he has some excellent passes that led to four assists and created some easy buckets for his teammates. If Howard starts shooting better and his playmaking is, in fact, that good, it will be huge for Banchero and Wagner, as it should get them some great looks during the season.</p><p>As for Black, he showed some shooting and scoring punch that should make Magic fans feel great. He bullied smaller guards on the way to the basket and made it look like he can do that anytime he wants. He also hit an “and-one” 3-pointer near the end of the game that made his veteran teammates jump out of their seats in the stands.</p><p>If Black can improve on his shooting and scoring, he could be an All-Star, not just a starter in the NBA.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.0	3.5	2.0	0.8	0.8

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.0	3.5	2.0	0.8	0.8

Anthony Black news

Anthony
Black news