Anthony Black had to wait a long time to get back onto the court.
The young guard, coming off a breakout season last year, sprained his ankle in the team's voluntary workouts in September. As the Orlando Magic began training camp and played through the preseason, Black had to sit and watch from the sidelines, learning the team's new system without practicing it.
He ramped up plenty, playing 3-on-3 and doing individual drills. But with the season beginning, he would be thrown right into the fire. His return game Sunday against the New York Knicks was his first time playing 5-on-5 since September.
But there was no time to wait when he checked in. The Magic had spotted the Knicks the game's first 12 points. They had yet to make a field goal and had only scored at the foul line.
Black got things going with a 3-pointer to break the seal. The Magic had kept things close enough, but they needed a three-point onslaught.
As much as Sunday's game was about Franz Wagner powering the team to the finish line and scoring the victory, it was also about Anthony Black's return and his 18 points, five assists and 5-for-7 shooting from three.
"He was amazing," Franz Wagner said after Sunday's game. "Obviously, shooting it really well today. It's not easy to come in +21 in 26 minutes. That's pretty elite. I think he was one of those guys in those stretches when I wasn't playing well in the first few quarters. I thought he was really aggressive, making plays for himself and others."
It has been a whirlwind first month of the season for Black and the Magic.
Black started the season off without getting an extension amid the Magic's tightening cap situation. He started the year on the shelf with a nagging injury.
Now with two starters injured for, likely, at least the next month, Black is stepping into the spotlight in a bigger way. He is making his case for a bigger contract, trying to get healthy and trying to help this team win.
Black in the spotlight
This is not the first time the spotlight was searching for someone to step into it. And it is not the first time Anthony Black has been the one to step into it.
Black built his breakout 15.0-points-per-game, 3.7-assists-per-game season last year mostly during the stretch that began with Paolo Banchero's strained groin in November.
From Nov. 14 through Franz Wagner's return in Berlin in January, Black averaged 17.6 points per game and shooting 35.6 percent from three with 4.6 assists per game.
Black had a true breakout season beyond that strong stretch. His 19 games with 20 or more points were more than he had in his first two seasons combined.
He played with loads of confidence throughout the season. It seemed to grow.
That spearheaded his offseason quite clearly. Black finally touched the floor and finally gave the team a glimpse of what they are missing.
The spotlight is back on Black now with those starters out. The Magic will need him to play with that production again. The Magic are glad to have him back. They will need him.
Black's contract feeling
Anthony Black knows now that he must play this season out and put his best foot forward.
Everyone should want to divorce the season from his upcoming contract negotiations. But it is impossible to some degree.
Every strong game and moment from Black, and how badly the Magic need him to perform, will affect his market when the offseason comes and determine whether the Magic will match his contract when the time comes.
It is still lying underneath the surface.
"Just staying focused on the season. That's really it. That's all I'm focused on," Black said last week after the extension deadline passed. "I still have to do what I need to do. Still have to help the team win. It's more important than just me. Looking forward to having a good season, making the most out of this year with my team."
Everyone seemed to acknowledge publicly the financial situation the Magic are in. Even at Media Day, there was a sense that a deal would get done because of that.
Still, the reporting all suggested the Magic and Black's camp did not meaningfully engage in contract negotiations. The extent to which that might be true is uncertain. But they did not get a deal done. Black got left with the bag from a team suddenly stuck in apron depression that had previously freely handed out extensions.
"Obviously, it takes two sides to get to an agreement, and obviously we weren’t able to do that," Jeff Weltman said on 96.9 The Game last week. "It’s not the only chance that we have, the way the NBA system is set up. But obviously it changes the math a little bit. The one thing I do know is, I know Anthony Black is a great person. I know he’s a super-talented player and he’s got a bright future. He’s really competitive and he’s a great teammate."
Black echoed that, saying, "For an agreement to happen, two people got to agree and two people didn't agree. No agreement." That echoed a sentiment he shared in a comment on Instagram to a fan.
Who knows how far apart the two sides actually were. But they were far enough apart to leave this matter unsettled and play this year out.
The way to close that gap is to play. And the expectation is for Black to turn in a stellar season.
"The biggest thing that we have talked about is keeping everything consistent with what he has been doing," coach Sean Sweeney said last week after Black's extension deadline had passed. "He has been awesome. He worked his [butt] off today. We talked about bringing everything back to the work and how we've been trying to build habits and ramp up to getting ready to play. So far so good. He's done a great job on that."
The contract uncertainty can wait for the offseason. Black must play through this season and shine to get the rewards in the offseason.
The Magic need a big season from Black too to boost their bench and now survive the rash of injuries they are facing.
The spotlight is on Black again.
Add us as a preferred source on Google