NBA Draft Scouting Report: Arkansas' Anthony Black
Anthony Black
Guard | Arkansas
Height: 6'7” | Weight: 195 lbs
2023 Draft Age: 19.41
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Prospect Profile
With elite size for a guard, Black has the perfect build for the modern NBA. He’s a natural lead guard that can also play off ball on the wing. He’s the ideal prospect for the positionless game that the NBA is trending towards. Black is a player that relies more on skill than athleticism.
What makes Black special is his passing at 6-foot-7. He’s a great facilitator and can lead an effective offense. With that in mind, he needs to get better as a scorer to round out his offensive game. Regardless, tall playmakers are in high demand at the NBA level and he’s the type of player that would fit on nearly any team.
Many of the other top guards in this class are elite scorers. While Black can get his team a bucket, it's unclear whether he can be a top offensive option early in his NBA career. 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 was a respectable shooter from deep in his lone college season, but will need to become much more efficient moving forward. If the Arkansas freshman isn’t able to prove he can shoot if from deep in the pre-draft process, he may not go as high in the draft as he’d like.
Defensively, Black’s versatility is intriguing. He’s able to defend up to three positions and is a good positional shot blocker. He gives effort and uses his length to be disruptive on that end of the floor. As such, he's one of the best guard defenders in this class.
It was interesting to see how Black played this season at Arkansas alongside three other potential first rounders in Nick Smith Jr., Jordan Walsh and Ricky Council. His role fluctuated quite a bit as Smith was in and out of the lineup.
Overall, seeing Black increase his scoring output when Smith was off the floor was promising. Any team looking for a guard that can do a bit of everything on both ends will be interested in the 6-foot-7 guard in the lottery.
Highlights
Draft Projection
Mid to Late Lottery Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.
2023 Big Board
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