Last season, Anthony Black got to start 33 games for the Magic and played in 69. It was the first chance for the rookie to showcase what he can do on an NBA court. And yet, when the team's guard rotation was healthy again, Black found himself back on the bench. In the playoffs, he only played 11 minutes of garbage time.
Next season should hopefully be different. Despite playing little, Black has already become somewhat of a fan favorite among Magic fans. Considering that the team opted not to re-sign Markelle Fultz in free agency and also didn't bring in another high-level guard, it seems that the Magic are prepared to give Black a shot.
The Magic want to win, however, and if Black cannot contribute to that quickly, some more veteran players might get the nod instead. Still, there are plenty of reasons why the youngster deserves to be in the rotation.
Reason #3: His defense
The Orlando Magic are a defensive team. Defense is what got them to the playoffs, and Anthony Black fits that identity well. He is tall for a guard and already flashed his potential as an elite defender. All of this makes Black the perfect fit for the Magic's brand of defense.
Even after a solid offseason, there are still offensive concerns around this Magic roster. So, their defense will have to be elite once again. Giving Black a chance to play will only add to the defense.
A guard rotation featuring Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Gary Harris, and Anthony Black would be fearsome defensively and cause trouble for opposing perimeter players.
The Magic already have two all-defensive-caliber guards in Suggs and Caldwell-Pope. Black has the potential to follow in their footsteps. While he might not be ready to make a big difference in the playoffs quite yet, his defensive ability could help the team during the regular season.
Reason #2: His offensive potential
So far, Anthony Black has not shown much offensively yet--mostly because that was just not his role. Black was thrown into the fire due to injuries last season, so his main goal was to survive on the court.
That meant playing defense, being a secondary ball handler, and taking open shots. On average, Black only took 3.6 field goal attempts per game and averaged 4.6 points in his first season.
Nevertheless, he has the potential to do much more than that offensively. When he played in Summer League he showed growth as the lead ballhandler and playmaker. If he can continue on that trajectory, it should almost guarantee him minutes in Jamahl Mosley's rotation. The Magic are still short on playmakers and facilitators. Guys will have to step up, and Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black are the prime candidates to show significant growth in that department.
The Magic are also still short on reliable volume three-point shooters. Last season, Black was far from a volume shooter, as he only took 1.4 attempts per game. When he shot the three, he usually shot it well, though, converting 39.4 percent of his attempts.
He certainly has promise as a 3-point threat, but opponents will not be scared of letting him shoot. If he could just knock down the majority of open shots they give him, it would really help the Magic's spacing.
In the end, letting him play is the only way to determine how much he has developed since his rookie season.
Reason #1: The Magic's future
Even a team as young as the Magic needs to keep an eye on the future. Most of their established rotational players are still very young—Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cory Joseph are the only players on the roster over 30—but they still need young talent to follow in their footsteps.
At only 20, Anthony Black is one of the youngest players on an already young team. He is also the highest-drafted player since Paolo Banchero. The Magic didn't draft him sixth overall to have him sit on the bench. They drafted him because they hoped he could eventually grow into another building block for the franchise.
The only way to develop him and see if he can truly be that additional building block is to let him play. This is not to say that Black should necessarily play huge minutes every night and play over more veteran players in important situations.
He should have to earn the big minutes just like everyone else. On the other hand, he should definitely get reps as the backup ball handler with the second unit and a chance to experiment with his offense. Otherwise, he might never fulfill his potential. The 2024-25 season will likely be the last one in which the Magic won't be under great pressure to win and move past the first round of the playoffs. A better chance to let the young guys play might not present itself.