3 Orlando Magic players who will have to adapt to a new role this season 

2. Anthony Black 

Anthony Black is the one player fans seem most eager to see on the court this season. Black came to the Magic as the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft but did not get the same opportunity high lottery picks usually get. Rather than getting a chance to experiment and play through mistakes, Black found himself at the end of the bench. 

Injuries pushed him into the rotation and even the starting lineup for a while, but he still only played 69 regular season games and did not put up mind-blowing numbers. He was stuck in the guard rotation behind Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Cole Anthony, and Markelle Fultz. The Magic elected not to re-sign Fultz during the offseason, seemingly making room for Black to slide into the rotation. 

When Black played last season his role was limited. He has great size and defensive abilities as well as a promising 3-point shot, but the Magic did not ask him to do too much during his rookie season. That should change this year. 

Black will likely get his chance to run the second unit and provide some secondary playmaking. In the Magic’s preseason opener, he even led the team in assists, and Summer League showed how much work he put in to become a better playmaker and table-setter.

Still, this will be an adjustment. Black is not used to playing significant NBA minutes pretty much every game or to being asked to make plays for himself and his teammates. 

This season will be crucial for Black, though. It will be his first chance to put up numbers more fitting for a sixth-overall pick and to establish himself as one of the players the Magic see in the team’s long-term future.