Arkansas’ Hybrid Anthony Black Showcases Versatility with 26-Point Performance

Arkansas guard Anthony Black showcased his versatility on both ends of the court in a Monday night win over Louisville.

With the best game of his young career, Arkansas guard Anthony Black showcased while he’ll be regarded as one of the most versatile selections in the 2023 NBA Draft.

After some lackluster offensive performances to start the season, Black exploded for 26 points on 9-for-11 shooting in the Hog’s blowout win over Louisville. He hit three of his five 3-point attempts, something that could help his draft stock skyrocket.

But at 6-foot-7, Black isn’t projected to be a scorer in college or at the next level. Rather, he’ll fluster the opposition with a dynamic mix of scoring prowess, innate passing ability, rebounding with his height and defensive versatility.

Black scored just 6.0 points per game in his first three contests, but tacked on 3.0 steals, 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game to showcase what makes him a peculiar pick.

Per Draft Digest’s earlier scouting report Black: “Many of the other top guards in this class are elite scorers. While Black can get his team a bucket, he’s not known for being a primary option. He’s more of a pass first guard that prefers to set up his teammates. In fact, sometimes he’s so unselfish that it actually impacts him negatively.

The shooting for Black will be the swing skill that determines how high he’s selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. He doesn’t take many 3-pointers, and doesn’t convert at a high rate when he does shoot from beyond the arc. If the Arkansas freshman isn’t able to prove he can shoot if from deep this season, he may not go as high in the draft as he’d like. Increasing the perimeter volume should naturally help increase his numbers.”

So far, Black has hit on just five of his 13 3-pointers, but has already shown how dangerous he can be when they’re falling.

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