NBA Draft Preview: Anthony Black

Freshman Arkansas Razorbacks guard has shot up boards with strong meetings, workouts

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Jun 20, 2023 9:01 AM EDT
Original:
Jun 20, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Only two days remain until the NBA Draft supposedly scoops up four former Arkansas Razorbacks and sends them along a journey of fulfilling their life's dream.

At the top of that list sits Anthony Black. The freshman point guard who grew throughout the season after giving up much of his potential high school development to being an elite wide receiver in football has impressed NBA scouts and executives enough with what he can do currently, and is projected to be able to do with more experience, that he has shot up draft boards.

Black appears to be a lock to go in the Top 10 and has generated Top 5 talk over the past week or two. Needless to say, there's a lot of buzz around Black. So, let's take a look at what's being said and where the legitimate possible landing spots are now that the evaluations are settled and some of the pre-draft moves have begun to take shape.

What's Being Said Nationally?

Adam Finkelstein, 247 [Projection: 4]

"He is a legit big point guard who has a terrific instinctive feel for the game and is also one of the best defenders in the draft. He may not be especially long, but he’s built up his body this year without losing any of lateral quickness and is also a deceptive vertical athlete. He made huge strides as a rim finisher this year, which leaves his shooting as the biggest variable moving forward.
He made only 30% of his attempts, with less than one make per game, from behind the three-point line this year. His 71% from the free-throw line wasn’t terrible, but what’s been more encouraging is some of the footage to come out during the pre-draft process as Black appears to have tweaked his historically flawed mechanics. Bottom line, his overlap of size, versatility, feel, two-way instincts and playmaking is truly unique.
If the shooting progresses to the point where it is even serviceable, I don’t anticipate there being seven better players to come out of this draft."

Cem Yobulan, Fansided [Projection: 8]

"The calling card for Anthony Black is his high basketball IQ. His decision-making is very impressive for a 19-year-old prospect. He is a mature playmaking point guard with great court vision and potentially elite passing ability.
His high basketball intelligence shows up on the defensive end too. He is an effective help defender with good positional awareness, helping him get a lot of steals; he averaged 2.1 steals per game as a freshman last year. He has the tools to be able to guard multiple positions.
The main concern for Black is on the offensive end. It is hard to project him as the leading engine of an offense. He shot 27% on off-the-dribble threes, 41% on off-the-dribble twos, and 70% on free throws; all very bad numbers for a perimeter player. The lack of versatility on his shot is striking as his form makes it difficult for him to take pull-up shots. His shooting form certainly needs some work.
However, Black was a much better shooter on uncontested shots. His slow release and shooting form may make him a more spot-up shooter at the beginning of his career.
Despite having very good athleticism, Black doesn’t have the tightest handles for a point guard, making it hard for him to create enough separation from his defender at times. This also lowers his ceiling as an on-ball player."

Marko Mitevski, Pundit Feed [Projection: 8-9]

"He possesses an elite body frame for a modern NBA guard. He is 6-7 and able to cover both front-court spots. he has shown leadership skills in his freshman year at Arkansas and played more than 34 minutes per game. Black is the type of player that relies more on his basketball skills and knowledge than on pure athleticism. He can be a great facilitator and, if he gets enough playing time, may become an elite point guard in the NBA very soon.
What makes Black an outstanding prospect is the maturity in his game at the age of 19. He has a pass-first mentality and, at the same time, knows how to recognize situations where he needs to attack the rim. He is quite tall as a point guard, and that is actually what the NBA teams need today. Black has a high basketball IQ and is coachable, which makes him a real choice for any team in the top 10 of the draft. In his lone season at Arkansas, Black showed that he knows how to take advantage when he plays against smaller guards, and he can also finish strong in transition.
The one thing that is pointed out as Black’s weakness is his jump shot, as he doesn’t jump much when he shoots. He is not a natural scorer, and that is what many teams seek from a point guard in the NBA. He was among the point guards with the most turnovers per game last season, and that is another part of the game he needs to work on. Black is still not on the athleticism level demanded by the NBA, but he definitely can make a huge improvement on that part.

Teams in the Mix for Black

The landing spot that's producing the most smoke is Washington. The prevailing thought is the recent trade of Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns might have been done to set up a rebuild centered around Black as the initial piece at the No. 8 pick in this week's draft. However, the question becomes whether the acquisition of Chris Paul from the Phoenix Suns in the Bradley Beal trade impacts this pick.

There are numerous projections that Black stays in his home state of Texas. He grew up just a few miles from the Dallas Mavericks' headquarters, which is a popular landing spot at No. 10.

It seems unlikely he makes it past No. 8, but, if he does, Mark Cuban seems enamored with the idea of Black serving as the glue between Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving enough that he not only would pick him if he falls, but might even consider moving up. Cuban has never been one to put much value in draft capital and also doesn't expect to be picking this high up again in the near future. Therefore, if he truly believes Black is the missing piece in a championship over the next three years, Dallas is the most likely candidate to trade up to get him.

Sticking with the Texas theme, as evidenced above, there are projections that Black goes to Houston at No. 4. This one doesn't seem as likely because the general thought is that the Rockets would rather pick up an additional scorer in either Amen Thompson, Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller, and one of those three will definitely be on the board.

However, this pick is assuming the veteran point guard Houston wants is still a viable option on the market once draft night rolls around. If Paul was the veteran guard the Rockets were targeting, then the strategy changes. It now becomes a case of whether another veteran guard with a high assist ratio is easier to find than a serviceable shooting guard. If so, this might be the surprise pick that shakes up the rest of the lottery.

There's also reportedly a desire in San Antonio to find a way to trade up for Black to pair with No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, but that would be a very expensive move that probably isn't in the cards. There would have to be a highly unexpected fall of Black to the bottom portion of the lottery and Black has impressed too many teams for that to happen.