Magic PG Anthony Black Showcases 'Elite Feel' in Summer League
Following last month's NBA Draft, Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman emphasized what his team received.
"We set out this draft to further add talent, character, basketball IQ, positional size, and I always say, the fit and the fight," Weltman said.
And it didn't take long at all for No. 6 pick Anthony Black to live up to that statement. In his Summer League debut, Black scored 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting, including five assists, five rebounds and three steals.
"I love Black as a player because of his elite feel for the game, and he showcased why in a standout second-half performance in the Magic’s first game against Detroit that one NBA scout told me was his favorite of the first three days of summer league," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie writes.
Standing at 6-7, the former Arkansas point guard is tailor-made for what Orlando is looking for in its pursuit of positionless players that can do it all on the court. And throughout the three game Las Vegas stint, Black did exactly that.
Despite the Magic posting an 0-3 mark over those games, Black led the team in scoring (11.0), rebounds (8.7), assists (4.0), blocks (0.7), steals (2.0) and minutes (28.4), while often making it look effortless on the court with his combination of size and basketball IQ.
While Orlando's backcourt is a current log-jam with Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, the rookie guards' ability to make the game easy could catapult him into the rotation.
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