Offseason Is Proving Ground for Magic's Anthony Black, Jett Howard

Orlando Magic General Manager Anthony Parker said Anthony Black and Jett Howard's path toward more playing time in their second seasons will be challenging — especially if the Magic invest in free agency.

Feb 27, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives around Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder (17) during the second quarter at Amway Center. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Anthony Black and Jett Howard could be the biggest wild cards ahead of a pivotal offseason for the Orlando Magic.

The club's 2023 first-round picks have some proving to do — and the demands will rise if Orlando invests in free agency. Magic general manager Anthony Parker spoke about the importance of this summer for Black and Howard and the progress they're starting to make.

"Those guys both know we're going to have hard summers and [they're] going to go out there and they're going to earn it," Parker said on the Orlando Magic Pod Squad. "They're in here to their credit, their bodies are starting to change, their confidence is starting to grow and we hope this continues into next season."

Black got an extended run with the Magic, appearing in 69 games, 33 of which he started. He averaged 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in those starts . The 6-foot-7 guard also made 39.4 percent of his 3-point attempts, had seven games with at least two steals, and had 18 games with at least one block.

His playing time evaporated in the latter half of the season. He made his last start on March 8 and had 5-minute cameos in just two of Orlando's seven playoff games.

Howard spent most of his rookie season bouncing up and down between Orlando and its G-League affiliate, the Osceola Magic. He appeared in only 18 games for the big club.

"[Black and Howard] have a lot of the things we want our team to be about. Positional size, versatility, IQ and [Anthony Black] got his chance during the season when we had some injuries and came in and did a really good job. Some of our best stretches were when he was on the court. You saw flashes of what he could become and he got a glimpse of all the things he needs to get better at to get to where he wants to go."

Parker spoke about the growth he saw in Howard both in his play and confidence as the season progressed.

"He played in Osceola and we said 'Hey, here's the things that we feel like you need to work on to become the player you want to be,'" Parker said. "And to his credit, he took on the challenge and you saw him get better over the course of the season. You saw his confidence grow, you saw how he played start to line up with what we wanted to see from him so we couldn't be happier with that part of the season."

With nearly $50 million in cap space according to Spotrac, the Magic have the financial flexibility to possibly expedite their timeline from playoff qualifier to conference challenger.

If Black and Howard can become key contributors next season, then Orlando will have five good, young players from their three most recent drafts.

NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents on June 30.

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