All anyone could seemingly talk about in Anthony Black's first two seasons was their desire for the young guard to be more aggressive.
They were trying to get him to attack and assert himself more. They clearly saw loads of talent in the young guard and they were waiting for it to blossom.
It did on occasion throughout his first two years. But Black still looked like a rookie, deferring to older teammates, at times unsure what to do. Even last year, the Magic could feel the impact that Black could have when he was assertive.
If there has been a switch that has turned for the Magic, it is not merely the influx of new talent to the team. It has been the growth of a player like Black.
It is still the truth that the Magic's chances of winning and their ceiling raises significantly when Black plays at his best.
And with Jalen Suggs likely to miss some time, the attention and necessity of Anthony Black and his aggression are only going to increase.
"Probably just picking up his defensive energy and presence and his presence overall," Black said of filling in for Suggs after practice Wednesday. "He's an all-defensive player, so his defense is missed when he's not playing."
Black said he puts a lot of pressure on himself to help pick up the slack defensively with Suggs out. He and Suggs both typically get the assignment on the opposing team's best perimeter player.
Anthony Black was already filling in as the starter with Franz Wagner out with a high ankle sprain. They will need more of Black and a more aggressive Black to keep things going on this road trip.
The Anthony Black Difference
There is probably no stat that clearly correlates to the Orlando Magic's chances to win quite like Anthony Black's shooting.
This has been a career season for him, averaging 13.0 points per game, up 3.6 points per game from last season. Black's shooting has still be up and down -- settling in now at 29.8 percent from three.
But when Black is on, he changes the game.
"I just think it stays with the mindset with him more than anything," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Wednesday. "I think his confidence with how he is playing, his ability to attack the basket in transition, making those decisions when he gets to the basket, whether he is finishing or spraying out to teammates. His calling card is making other teams uncomfortable. His length, his size, his speed, he has a special gift in that regard."
In the Magic's wins, Black averages 14.1 points per game and shoots 37.3 percent from three. The Magic have a +16.4 net rating with a 122.2 offensive rating and 105.8 defensive rating with Black on the floor in wins, a net rating that trails only Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac among rotation players.
In Orlando's losses, however, Black averages 11.5 points per game and shoots 20.9 percent from three. Orlando has a -12.8 net rating with a 109.1 offensive rating and 121.8 defensive rating with Black on the floor. That net rating is only better than Jonathan Isaac and Tyus Jones among rotation players.
The Magic are 6-2 when Black scores 15 or more points this season and 7-1 when he shoots better than 40 percent from three.
It should be pretty clear the kind of impact that Black can have and how vital he can be to the team and its potential success.
When Black is aggressive, the Magic are simply a different team.
They need more out of him and more consistency with the Magic dealing with so many injuries.
Standing in for Suggs
This is a next-man-up league. Making it through an 82-game schedule is always difficult. And the Orlando Magic have already faced plenty of injury adversity. They are constantly trying to fill in and step up with injuries.
Anthony Black has known that more than most. Black played for much of his rookie year because he was filling in for an injured Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs. Black was not as prepared in that time as he is now.
He has slowly grown as a player.
"AB is doing what I've seen since we drafted him," Wendell Carter said after practice Wednesday. "He soaks up information, learns from his teammates, and he is his own player, too. He is just starting to blossom into what we've been seeing since his first training camp his rookie year. I'm super excited for him. But he is definitely nowhere near his peak at all. He has a lot more room to continue to get better. At the end of the day, he has taken tremendous strides that I knew were going to happen at any moment."
The Magic obviously lose a lot without Suggs. Suggs was another attacker and one of the best catch-and-shoot 3-point shooters in the league.
Black is still coming into his own as a driver. He averages just 6.2 drives per game -- down from 7.3 per game last year. Black is incredible at finishing at the rim in transition. But getting to the basket and hitting spot-up jumpers remains a challenge for him.
Those are two things that Suggs has excelled at. Orlando is counting on Black continuing to be aggressive. Orlando knows it has to make up for that somehow.
That will not solely be on Black, of course. Everyone has a role to play. They will need more aggresison from Desmond Bane. They will need more from Paolo Banchero as he recovers from his own injury.
It is not just one player that is needed to replace a player like Suggs.
"His aggressiveness on both ends of the court. We have to make up for that somewhere, somehow," Carter said of missing Suggs after practice Wednesday. "Maybe it's just all five need to step up their aggressiveness altogether. Jalen is one of those unique guys. You can't really replace him. You just have to find ways to win games."
But the Magic know how critical Black can be. He is vital to surviving this period of the season.
For the Magic to do that, they will need the best version of Black. The version they have seen more and more of this year as they have begun to stack more wins.