Magic Report Card: Rookie Anthony Black Making The Grade?
The Orlando Magic is one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and the young pieces that the team acquired through the draft this past offseason are only making the team's future brighter.
The Magic made it out of the 2023 NBA Draft with Anthony Black from Arkansas with the sixth pick, and Jett Howard out of Michigan with the eleventh pick. Bleacher Report rated every team's rookie class so far this season and gave the Magic a 'B'.
Anthony Black
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"For a team already exceeding expectations and getting tons of wide-ranging contributions from Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze (all of whom are under 25), one more hit in the first round almost doesn't seem fair to the rest of the league," Bleacher Report writes. "But that's what Anthony Black has looked like to this point of his rookie campaign. Relatively low rebounding, assist, steal and block rates are suppressing Black's catch-all numbers, but you can tell he has a solid feel for the game. And even without the counting stats on the defensive end, his length and awareness suggest he could be a weapon there soon (if he isn't already)."
Black hasn't had the stats just yet, but his length and mobility on both sides of the ball could be a huge asset to the Magic going forward. But Howard could also be a future key player for the team as well. In his play with the Osceola Magic, he averaged an impressive 18.8 points per game, and he has now been called back up to Orlando, where he could make an impact right away with his shooting.
Black, Howard, and the rest of the Magic will be back in action tomorrow night against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
