3 Orlando Magic preseason stats to believe, 2 to disregard

Believe: Jett Howard and Anthony Black's growth

Progress is not linear for young players. Everyone knows and recognizes that. But there is a general expectation that players will improve especially early in their careers.

Improvement from the rookie to the sophomore year is usually expected with a player getting a full offseason of NBA work under their belt and a season of tasting the league.

It should be no surprise that the biggest gainers in training camp were the Magic's two second-year players.

Anthony Black was arguably the MVP of training camp and looked every bit of it. He averaged 9.3 points per game and 4.3 assists per game. He made 9 of his 16 field goal attempts overall.

More important than the counting stats, Black looked in command as the leader of the offense and someone who could navigate the paint. He controlled his pace and attacked off two feet, as he always claimed he wanted to. Black was also great at distributing and finding teammates on the move.

Black looked like a different player. The experience did him well.

Jett Howard did not have the benefit of experience, having played most of the season with the Osceola Magic last year. Still, a year made him look much improved.

And if his preseason play carries over to the regular season, it will be impossible to keep him off the floor. He gives the team a skill set that it does not have anywhere else.

Jett Howard finished the preseason averaging 11.7 points per game (second to Paolo Banchero overall). He made 7 of 17 3-pointers (41.2 percent). That means he took 5.7 3-point attempts per game.

The reason that feels significant is that it was not like Howard was overdribbling to get his shots. He was getting many of the shots he would get in the regular season—kickouts from Paolo Banchero or swing-swings around the perimeter. Howard is a knockdown shooter.

Howard knows he earns playing time through his defense. And that looked much improved even if no one would say that is a strength for him quite yet.

That is something that everyone should believe in. And it will give the Magic some added depth and some added shooting when the games count beginning on Wednesday.