Injuries sideline key players, forcing the Magic to rely on Anthony Black's rising game. His aggressive play and defensive prowess are now vital.
The Orlando Magic are preparing to get back into action after a tough loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup semifinals, with another challenging matchup ahead against the Denver Nuggets. With Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs both dealing with injuries, the Magic have embraced a next-man-up mentality, leaning on key contributions from their bench. One of those players, labeled an X-factor heading into the season, has been Anthony Black.
"It stays with the mindset for him more than anything—his confidence in how he’s playing, ability to attack the basket in transition, making decisions when he gets to the basket.” coach Jamahl Mosley said about Black. “Defensively, his calling card is making other guards uncomfortable—his length, size, speed. He’s got a special gift in that regard, and that’s what we keep asking him to do nightly."
"It goes back to the confidence and presence he has on the floor,” Mosley added. “When the ball is in his hands he’s got to be that decision-maker, command the floor—you can see him growing in that. I love when he gets the ball off the defensive rebound and pushes the break. He’s had multiple times attacking the basket, seeing something, or slowing it down and getting us into sets. Those are things we keep asking him to do, and he’s going to continue to thrive in that as more time goes on."
Averaging career highs across the board at 13 points, four rebounds, and 1.3 steals, Black is beginning to come into his own, a payoff for the work he put in over the summer. Now, the focus shifts to building on those opportunities and continuing to grow his impact as the Magic navigate injuries and a demanding stretch of games.
"Just getting into the paint more—being more aggressive and challenging bigs,” Black said. “Going more one-on-one and attacking more downhill with the ball."
With Suggs battling injuries, Black’s teammates, including Wendell Carter Jr., have expressed how important it has been having Black step in and fill Suggs’ role as a physical, defense-focused guard.
"With Jalen out, the message to him is just be even more aggressive. He’s shown how talented he is on the offensive end and defensively—he’s very unique, can guard most positions. That’s going to be a big challenge for him with Jalen out. Overall, AB has been doing what I’ve seen since we drafted him—he soaks up information, learning from guys like Jalen and Franz. He’s starting to blossom into what we’ve been seeing since his rookie training camp. Super excited for him—he’s definitely nowhere near his peak, still got a lot more room to get better, but he’s taken tremendous strides."
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