On a young and budding team, Anthony Black's minutes as a rookie has largely contingent on his perimeter defense and preparation at the point of attack.
Standing with a 6-foot-7, fairly broad frame and physical defensive play style, he has the tools to become one of the top all-around defenders in the league.
On-ball, in help, sinking into the paint when necessary, his anticipation and ability to read a ball handlers' move leads to many caused turnovers and subsequent opportunities on the offensive end.
He did a lot of that in Orlando's 112-100 loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday night – trying to contain MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 1 team in the West in the Thunder.
It's never going to be an easy task guarding a 6-foot-6 guard who plays at such a fluid pace, along with great body control and a true gift for putting the ball in the basket.
Gilgeous-Alexander ended with 37 points in their win – though the majority of his points did come on the starter Jalen Suggs as Black came off the bench.
Still registering a career-high 33 minutes despite not being implemented in the starting lineup, Black's impact came in its usual form.
Disrupting the Thunder offense both on the ball and in help led to many plays in transition, where his speed let's him run the floor very well, while his decision making has seemed to steadily heighten.
Digging as a help defender has been a massive part of his defensive proficiency, giving a spark to their offense while fortifying the Magic's defense on the first two levels.
But against Oklahoma City's third-ranked defense in the association – having a 111.0 defensive rating – he looked awfully comfortable in the half court setting.
Black played to his pace, setting up for multiple mid-range jumpers off the dribble in a controlled, steady fashion and made a large percentage of them – ultimately going 5-for-8 from the field on the night to generate 13 points.
Providing some key penetration as an attacker, he also made many plays for his teammates while displaying his understanding of leverage and cut-off angles in order to score over larger defenders at the cup.
Though, there were some rookie mistakes made, of course.
Off-balanced defensively at times, challenging Chet Holmgren at the rim only to get swatted, and a couple errant passes were the extent of those mistakes, which are inevitable for a first-year guard – let alone a first-year guard who is going up against one of the hottest teams in the league currently.
But overall, his progression for the 21-18 Magic has been intriguing to keep an eye on, and I'll bet he develops into a strong, reliable all-around talent through the close of his rookie season into his sophomore campaign.
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