On Wednesday night, the Orlando Magic dropped a double-overtime thriller to the Sacramento Kings. Paolo Banchero led the way for Orlando
One of the ways the Magic stayed so close in this one was through their limiting of superstar De’Aaron Fox. The Kings’ all-star has averaged over 29 points per game, but tallied just 15 points on 6-of-22 shooting from the field. One of these misses came at the end of the 1st quarter with rookie Anthony Black guarding him:
Above, Black showcases his rapid lateral speed. He churns his feet to stay attached to one of the fastest players in the league. He then contests with his 6-foot-8 wingspan to force a miss.
Then, early in the second quarter, Black gets skinny to navigate two screens and stay in Malik Monk’s grill. After Monk gives up the ball, Black helps off of him to dig at a Kevin Huerter drive and poke the ball loose, displaying his disruptive hands.
With length, quick feet, and strong hands, Black is an intriguing, modern, perimeter defender. He helps to shrink the floor as a perimeter stopper in bigger lineups while bringing versatility.
Black’s not a perfect defensive prospect, though. This possession highlights one of his big areas for improvement. He lacks high-end flexibility, which hinders his stride length and range when sliding laterally. In the clip above, Black swiftly moves his feet to stay in position next to Monk. However, when Monk gets low and turns the corner, Black can’t employ a long stride to change direction and cut off the drive.
While it’s possible for NBA players to improve their flexibility, Black will likely need to compensate further for his shortcomings in this regard. Ultimately, the goal is for him to cut off offensive players on multi-directional drives. If he can’t do most of the work by just sliding his feet, he’ll need to be particular and efficient with the angles he moves. Another counter would be to initiate contact to bump attackers off their path and make it harder to change directions.
Regardless, Black is already an impactful defender on an elite defensive unit. With this type of early success, the sky is the limit for Orlando’s rookie.
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