There is a constant refrain whenever anyone on the Orlando Magic is asked about Anthony Black.
They all see the immense talent and potential in the 21-year-old guard and No. 6 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-7 wing is a devastating and smart defender. They see a potentially fantastic passer and driver. They see the vision of what he looks like when he puts all the pieces together.
That is easy to see too when Black has his best games.
Like when he scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds with four 3-pointers in a February win over the Washington Wizards. Or when he makes dazzling defensive plays that turn immediately into offense, like he did in the Play-In Tournament win against the Atlanta Hawks, where Black had a breakthrough, scoring 16 points and hitting three 3-pointers in that critical game.
The highs for Black are incredibly high. The trick with him has been getting him to play at that level all the time.
As Black enters his third season, all of that potential is in full view. For the Magic to accomplish their goals, they are eager as anyone to see him put all the pieces together, find his confidence and find his consistency.
As much as the Magic need players like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to keep growing into superstars or Desmond Bane to boost the offense, it is the growth of someone like Anthony Black that could determine how far this team goes.
"When AB is on his game, in my opinion, he is one of the best guards in this league," Wendell Carter said after Wednesday's practice. "When he is playing carefree, mind free, when he is just flowing and relying on his strengths and getting downhill, attacking the basket, shooting open threes, not turning them down, AB is a tough guard. He is tough to guard for anybody. When AB is playing his game, he's very hard to guard."
That is high praise. Praise Carter believes others on the team would echo. It is indeed the constant refrain that the Magic are eager to bring out the confident and attacking version of Black to the front.
Black's up and down season
Anthony Black had a stronger second season than his rookie season as he stepped into the rotation and had a more consistent role.
It still left something to be desired and to grow from.
He averaged 9.4 points per game and 3.1 assists per game as he stepped into the rotation full-time for the first time. He proved himself defensively most of all, establishing himself as one of the best perimeter defenders on the team.
His consistency on offense was the major issue.
In 39 wins last season, Black averaged 10.7 points per game and shot 40.8 percent from three. In 39 losses last season, Black averaged 8.1 points per game and shot 21.7 percent from three.
That is a strong correlation that suggests when Black plays well, the Magic tend to win. Especially when he is hitting shots from the outside.
Ultimately, in the Playoffs, Black still averaged 8.2 points per game but shot only 40.5 percent from the floor and 15.4 percent from three. It was enough to showcase Black's continuing promise, but also how far he still needs to go.
Black had a lot to work on this offseason, the biggest thing was finding the confidence and consistency to keep attacking, doing all the things teammates have urged him to do.
"I just say my aggression," Black said at Media Day on what he hopes to showcase this season. "Just being in attack mode every time I get it, regardless of how the game is going, how the season is going, how that possession is going. Just staying aggressive and being in attack mode and trusting myself for 82 games."
As camp has begun, Black has said he has felt more comfortable and settled in. This is his third year, after all. He understands what the team wants him to do.
He is trying to be more aggressive and stretch his abilities while making the right play. He has focused on taking more mid-range jumpers to complement his attacks to the rim.
Shooting remains a major focus as he gets more comfortable and confident on the floor. This is a young player still expanding and growing his skills.
Everyone with the team hopes that it means he is becoming more confident to see the best version of himself.
Black in a bigger role
The shifting in the Orlando Magic's rotation suggests Anthony Black will play a bigger role this season. But it also suggests the Magic are hedging their bets a bit.
The Magic traded away many of the key guards off their bench who might have kept Black from playing. Gone are Cole Anthony and Gary Harris. Black has a clear place in the team's rotation off the bench. He might even be the "Sixth Man" with his scoring ability.
With Black's defense, he is the perimeter anchor to the team's second unit. But the question remains whether he can be a point guard -- even on a team that has a fuzzy definition of what a point guard is.
With such inconsistency on the ball and as an attacker, along with smaller guards in the second unit, Black may not be the fill-in starter. With Jalen Suggs' status for opening night up in the air, Anthony Black indeed has some opportunity to get more minutes and take on a bigger role. But they still might lean on a veteran steady hand in Tyus Jones if it comes to that.
Black is still likely to settle as a reserve. But for the Magic to make the most of their team and their opportunity, they need a big season from Black. They need him to take over that sixth man role and provide a consistent scoring push off the bench.
That is the biggest thing he is still working toward. And the Magic are eager to see him get there.
"I think his toughness and voice has been very good," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Wednesday. "His ability to attack the basket, getting downhill. The maturity level that he has shown, knowing exactly what is expected of him. Being a high-level defender, getting out in transition and pushing the pace, getting downhill. But there is a level of confidence about him that we are all loving to see."
Everything goes back to that common refrain. Black wants to be aggressive every time he touches the ball. And that will determine whether he has a successful season.
The Magic are eager to see him play with that kind of elevated confidence.