With so much attention placed on the trajectories of fellow rookies Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, Tarik Black has nonetheless kept pushing forward.
Black — who leads all rookies in field goal percentage (57.1) and ranks third in rebounds (5.6) — recognizes the progress he has made in his first year.
“This is probably the most growth I’ve had in a single season since I started playing basketball,” Black said at practice Saturday. “Honestly, coming into this year … it was offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, set a screen, roll to the basket, catch a lob. … You watch last night’s game, the whole repertoire is coming out now.”
Black has shown subtle progress since exchanging his Houston Rockets jersey for purple and gold. In his 35 games with the Lakers, his scoring has improved by three points per game (7.2), while his field goal percentage (58.5) and rebounds (6.0) have also ballooned with more minutes in Los Angeles.
“Ever since I stepped foot out here the first day I came and started working out, Coach (Mark) Madsen was working on different things,” he said. “Coach (Byron) Scott saw the potential when I was working out, and they just said, ‘Go for it.’
“Having the confidence instilled in you from your coach is just the ultimate high. You feel like you can go out there on the floor, work on anything and do anything.”
Likewise, Scott and the other coaches have shown trust in Black’s abilities, especially when it comes to his role in the team’s defense.
“He’s been one of our best communicators on the defensive end and obviously our most athletic big,” Scott said. “We know we can have him guard certain people. He can switch out on some plays, too. So from a defensive standpoint, he’s very valuable to us.”
While noting Black’s progress, Scott also insisted that the Memphis native still has plenty of room to grow, particularly when it comes to his limited shooting range, as only 20 of his 215 shots have come from farther than eight feet.
Still, he head coach likened Black’s potential to that of Kenneth Faried due to his uncommon combination of size and athleticism.
“He doesn’t realize the body that he has, the strength that he has, the speed that he has, the quickness that he has,” Scott said. “He has to put that into use every single game, and I don’t think he utilizes that enough. And it’s something that he’s going to have to work on, because he is one of the fastest 6’9, 6’10 guys that I’ve seen in a long time.”
For now, the team is happy with the work Black has been putting in lately. Over his last six games, he is averaging 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds, while shooting 33-for-46 from the field, which leads the entire NBA during this stretch.
And as the undrafted rookie keeps grinding toward the future, he remains grateful for the opportunity to showcase his talents that may have otherwise gone unseen.
“I’m my biggest critic, but I’m also my biggest fan,” Black said. “I’ve always felt like I have a lot of potential — a lot of tools I never got to use. Now did I believe I would ever get to use them? No, not really. But it was such a blessing coming out here because the coaching staff was behind me.”