Who goes back to Magic bench upon return of these 2 players?

After trailing by as many as 17 points, the Orlando Magic earned an emphatic 127-126 win at home against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. It came on the heels of a pretty lifeless 15-point loss the night before to the Charlotte Hornets, but they bounced back as well as anyone could've asked.

Anthony Black scored a career-high 38 points on 14-of-24 shooting and 7-of-11 from 3-point range. It was the cherry on top for a slew of good games for the third-year guard, who is averaging 15.1 points on 55.2 percent true shooting through 32 games this season.

Though a bulk of Black's breakout games have come when the Magic have been shorthanded. That's not to take anything away from the 6-foot-7 guard. He's improved his ballhandling, decision-making and finishing. He's also 15 for his last 26 from beyond the arc.

But when star forward Franz Wagner -- plus Jalen Suggs -- return, will Black be bumped out of the starting lineup?! Let's examine.

Has Anthony Black made a case to be a full-time starter?

Dec 22, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) dribbles against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Suggs has missed the last six games nursing a hip injury, while Wagner has missed the last eight with an ankle sprain. Wagner has been limited to spot shooting, while Suggs is preparing himself to be on the court despite having no timetable.

Regardless of which of those two return first, Tyus Jones is the easiest name of the current starting 5 to bump back to the bench. But among Black, Desmond Bane, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr., is there another easy choice?!

Typically, the Magic's third-year guard would be the likely candidate. But he's also been more effective as a starter this season. In 12 starts, while his usage rate is 3.5 percent higher, he's averaging 18.9 points on 55.9 percent shooting, compared to just 12.8 points on 54.6 percent true shooting when he's not.

It may not matter much anyway. In games where both players have played, Black's averaged more minutes (27.9 to 25.6). Though it's worth mentioning that Suggs was on a minutes restriction at the start of the season.

Suggs, Bane, Wagner, Banchero and Carter are outscoring opponents by 18.5 points per 100 possessions (254 possessions), according to PBP Stats; the inverse is getting outscored by 3.8 points per 100 (158 possessions).

Ultimately, this is a good problem for head coach Jamahl Mosley to have. All of this assumes the Magic stay healthy, which has been a big if over the last two seasons.

Has Anthony Black made a case to be a full-time starter?

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