BROOKLYN — As Magic point guard Markelle Fultz missed his second straight and fifth overall game of the season, rookie Anthony Black earned the fourth start of his NBA career against the Nets on Tuesday at Barclays Center.
Black, who Orlando selected sixth overall in June, has stepped up for the Magic in more ways than one while Fultz continues to deal with left knee tendinitis.
“He’s a tough kid,” coach Jamahl Mosley told the Sentinel ahead of a 124-104 loss, with Black playing 19 minutes and shooting just 1-for-4 for 2 points. “He understands the game and knows how to read it. He’s a competitor. He’s a guy that’s not afraid of big moments or any situation that you put him in.”
Entering the Magic’s first In-Season Tournament against the Nets, Black was averaging 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
What’s perhaps most eye-catching about the Arkansas product is his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Although it’s a small sample size, Black entered Tuesday’s game shooting 50% (5 of 10) from 3-point range. That’s up from what he shot from distance (30%) during his one season with the Razorbacks.
He went 0-for-3 in Brooklyn, but remains ahead of schedule. Black has worked closely with Magic shooting coach Jeremiah Boswell since his arrival this summer.
“One thing that he does is, he works his tail off on his shot,” Mosley said about the rookie. “He’s always asking for extra work and that’s what has gotten him to this point.”
Youthful Magic continuing to learn how to handle success and grow together
But there’s more to Black than just shooting. It’s his effort on defense that allows the Magic to trust him so early in his career. Time and time again, he’s used his length to stay in front of and disrupt some of the league’s top guards, including Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Atlanta’s Trae Young.
“He’s done a great job,” Mosley said. “The one thing I’ve constantly told him is, ‘Don’t focus always so much on the shot. Focus on being the basketball player you can be.’ That’s why I talk about his basketball IQ and defensive tenacity.”
Black’s teammates have noticed his confidence on the court.
“I do like [that] he’s got a little feistiness to him,” center Moe Wagner said. “He talks a little smack sometimes which I like. I can [empathize] with that.”
Added forward Paolo Banchero: “He’s getting better every game, every day. He’s a quick learner and picks up on things very fast. He just makes winning plays, whether it’s defense or offense. He just plays what the team needs.”
What happened Tuesday wasn’t indicative of Black’s subtle impact. Spencer Dinwiddie (game-high 29 points) and Royce O’Neale (13) combined to shoot 9-for-16 from 3 as Brooklyn caught fire to blow open a one-possession game entering the fourth quarter.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 21 points, Paolo Banchero posted 19 and Goga Bitadze finished with a season-high 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
Still, the Magic believe they can win with Black. They trailed 88-86 after three quarters until Brooklyn scored 36 in the final 12 minutes. Black was on the bench until playing the final minute of garbage time.
Moe Wagner noted that Black hasn’t shied away from being asked to start in place of Fultz, who traveled with the Magic on the four-game road trip and is considered day-to-day.
“[He] takes the challenge as it is, which is hard sometimes as a rookie coming into a program that’s trying go somewhere,” Wagner said about Black. “Every day — whether it’s starting or not playing — he’s taking up on that challenge and trying to learn.
“That’s what it is as a young player.”
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, also known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
