If the world did not understand the transformation Anthony Black has undergone this season, they saw it on full display in Berlin a few weeks ago.
In a tie game with 2.5 minutes to go, the Orlando Magic got the ball out in transition to Black near mid-court. He read the defense, split two Memphis Grizzlies defenders and then powered to the basket, rising over four Grizzlies players to give the Magic the lead for good.
It was the most-viewed highlight in the league this season. A mid-afternoon, clutch poster dunk on national TV in an international game made Black's season and his growth front and center on the national stage.
And it raised the other inevitable question: Would the NBA invite Black to the Dunk Contest and bring some juice to the much-maligned competition?
Whether it was that dunk or any number of crazy athletic and forceful plays at the rim this season, Black confirmed to Orlando Magic Daily and reporters in the Magic's locker room after Friday's win over the Toronto Raptors that the league extended an invitation to the Dunk Contest in Los Angeles in a few weeks.
Black declined the invitation, citing the wear and tear of the season. But he left the door open that perhaps next year he would go for the dunk contest.
That might disappoint Magic fans.
With Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner likely missing the NBA All-Star Game (reserves are announced Sunday evening on NBC), Tristan da Silva missing out on the Rising Stars and Desmond Bane's struggles from three (shooting a career-worst 36.1 percent from three, but quickly improving) likely leaving him out of the 3-point contest, the Magic might not have a representative at All-Star Weekend. That would be the first time for the Magic since 2018, when Aaron Gordon withdrew from the dunk contest with a hip injury, and since 2000 before that.
Considering the injuries the Magic have faced. I am sure they will be happy to take the full weekend off, especially with a West Coast trip beginning immediately after the break.
That the league even asked Black to be in the Dunk Contest speaks to his transformation this season. Black always had the size and speed to get downhill, but he was not much of a downhill attacker in his first two seasons.
This year, Black has completely transformed and the dunking is merely a signal of his newfound aggression.
The power of the dunk
If it seems like Anthony Black is trying to attack the rim with more ferocity and force this year, you are not alone in that observation. It is backed up in the numbers that show Black is dunking far more this year than in any previous season.
According to Basketball-Reference's tracking stats, Black totaled 55 dunks in his first two seasons. He has 49 through 47 games this season.
It is not merely that Black is finishing at the rim with so much more force and creating these highlight plays, he is getting to the rim a whole lot more.
Black is shooting 62.6 percent on shots of less than five feet this season. He is taking more of these shots around the rim with 38.1 percent of his field goal attempts coming within five feet of the basket (222 of 583 field goal attempts this season).
Last year, Black shot only 56.0 percent on 248 total field goals attempts within five feet (accounting for 40.0 percent of his total field goal attempts).
Black's volume has obviously increased. He is taking more jumpers and is more confident with his three-point and mid-range shooting. He has had a lot more responsibility put on his plate -- his usage rate is obviously a career-high 22.1 percent, and he is averaging a career-high 16.0 points per game.
But getting to the basket is still essential to his game. And it is the biggest area of growth.
According to data from Second Spectrum, Black is averaging 6.9 drives per game with 49.4 percent shooting on 3.4 field goal attempts per game. Last year, he was at 7.3 drives per game but shooting only 42.7 percent on 3.3 attempts per game.
Black is especially aggressive in transition. He is averaging 5.2 points per game and scoring 1.20 points per possession on 4.4 transition possessions per game, according to data from Synergy. Last year he was at 2.4 points per game on 1.12 points per possession on 2.1 transition possessions per game.
The Magic have long asked Black to play more aggressively and look to score. He is finally putting that all on display.
Putting the pieces together
It has felt like a completely different season for Anthony Black.
He has plenty of highlight-reel dunks. But what has been really special is how he has started to take over games. He had a 20-point second quarter in the NBA Cup blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He took over in the fourth quarter to lead the Orlando Magic to a win over the Denver Nuggets at home.
Black has been essential to keeping this team afloat.
He has credited new assistant coach God Shammgod and the work he put in during the offseason with him and others, mostly at the AdventHealth training Center, for this boost. It has been a long time coming for a team that always understood his potential.
It has been a breakout season for Black. But it has also been an attitude shift. It is about this aggression and this ability to attack downhill. It is about this midset of seing the basket and looking to destroy it.
So it is no coincidence that Black is dunking a whole lot more. It is no coincidence that the NBA considered him a potential option for its dunk contest.
Black has turned this season into his own personal dunk contest. Not with tricks but with force and fury. That is the aggression the Magic have always wanted to see from him.