If you watched the first quarter of the United States debut exhibition game against Canada from Las Vegas on Wednesday night, you saw a team that was disorganized. They had seven turnovers against the bronze-medal-winning team from last year's FIBA World Cup and fell behind by double digits early.
The two teams looked very different. Canada looked like a team of carryovers who did not need much time to get on the same page and look like a juggernaut. The U.S. looked like a team that had gone through four practices and were still figuring out how to play together.
The U.S. eventually figured it out for an 86-72 victory. The talent is immense. And the talk afterward was about the need for this cohesion and growth together ahead of the Olympics in Paris in two weeks.
That is what happens in the summer every year in Las Vegas. Whether it is Team USA trying to come together or Summer League teams coming to Vegas for the NBA's annual gathering. Everyone is trying to get on the same page and get a taste of what NBA life is like.
Like Team USA, Summer League rosters like the one the Orlando Magic are sending to open up the NBA summer showcase on Friday at 4 p.m. against the Cleveland Cavaliers, have less than a week of practice to get on the same page and buy into the concepts the team is hoping to build on during Summer League.
Doing that requires getting everyone on the same page. In this way, young players returning from the team's main roster take on leadership roles very quickly. Especially players like Anthony Black who played all of last season with the main roster and knows what the team is looking for in drills.
For the team to get the most out of Summer League, everyone needs to be on the same page. And that starts with the leadership and communication from returning and rostered players. It starts with their point guard in Black.
Among the many things Black hopes to show during his time in Las Vegas, communication and leadership are two of the biggest things on his plate.
Anthony Black is stepping into a leadership role for Summer League
"I would say it's going to be on display a little more," Black said before the team left for Las Vegas on Monday. "You'll see me with the ball a little bit telling my teammates where to go and talking to my teammates on both ends. . . . That's really my sole responsibility. You have the ball in your hands, it's your job to command the floor and get everyone in the right positions. Definitely taking this time to work on that."
Black said he hopes to show more of his aggression and his ability to get into the paint. After an up-and-down rookie year that saw him start 33 games (mostly at the beginning of the season when Markelle Fultz was hurt) but averaged only 4.6 points per game and 1.3 assists per game.
Black's 12.7-percent usage rate signals a player who was largely on the outskirts of the rotation—not to mention his averaging 26.4 touches per game, sandwiching him between Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze. That is not the usage of a point guard.
Black hopes he will be able to show he can attack downhill and get into the paint more often during Summer League. As a second-year player, he is expected to look the part and be among the best players on the floor.
And that does not even get to his defense which everyone expects to be stellar too.
Anthony Black has spent the majority of his offseason so far in the AdventHealth Training Center alongside fellow rookie Jett Howard. There is a lot he wants to show off. He is looking forward to the reps.
But for this team to function and for everyone to get the most of this Summer League experience, it starts with Black working on becoming a more vocal leader.
"He's doing a great job of communicating," Magic Summer League coach Lionel Chalmers said after the team's practice in Las Vegas on Thursday. "We're having him use his voice more and he does it. He is starting to recognize when he's not doing it. He's aware of it which is growth. I think he is doing a good job. He'll continue to get better and better."
It is important to remember these are still all young players. But this is their chance to take the lead and show everyone else the way. That is what the Magic are expecting from their young players who have been around the team.
That is what they will require of those players when they get to the main roster too. A team does not get to be one of the best defenses in the league by being silent. Coach Jamahl Mosley emphasizes communication and talking as a big part of keeping every player on the same page.
That is something that is expected of everyone—including a rookie like Tristan da Silva.
"He knows how to play the game," Chalmers said of the rookie forward. "He's very smart. He knows timing, he knows spacing. He's willing to play with other guys which is very important. He's even communicating a lot which is great for a young guy."
Da Silva repeated much of what he said back in Orlando too. His goal is to play the right way and he said he feels his game will translate well into the Magic's overall culture. Everyone has sensed his feel for the game and his willingness to sacrifice for others.
That might just be a natural part of his game.
Howard is the other player a lot of fans are focused on. After spending his rookie season largely in the G-League with the Osceola Magic, everyone is eager to see if his shooting will translate. Howard is hoping to show off his gains on defense.
Even though Howard spent a good part of his season away from the Orlando Magic, he knows his familiarity with the Magic and the way they operate makes him a leader, showing new players the way the Magic do things.
"I for sure have more confidence, more comfortable," Howard said after the Magic's practice Thursday. "A little leadership qualities because I have done everything. Just helping out if a guy doesn't know a defensive drill or principle. Just helping out in that aspect."
That is what the Magic need from these key players. It is not only something that will help this team find some success, it will help them grow individually as they look ahead to training camp in October. This is how young players grow.
This Summer Magic team needs to get on the same page.
It all turns back to the point guard then and the guy the Magic are probably watching the closest—the sixth overall pick from the 2023 NBA Draft.
Black has a lot to work on—Howard said Black is hitting his threes and leading the team well in practices. His success starts with how he organizes and leads this team and how he takes over. With the Magic needing a point guard off the bench, Black is looking to make the most of this chance.
"Just having gone through it once makes it a little easier to come in here and get ready for it again," Black said before the team left for Las Vegas on Monday. "I feel like we're all getting a lot better. All three of our younger guys are getting better. It's going to be fun."
There is a lot for the team to build on heading off to Vegas.