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ORLANDO - For obvious reasons, the spotlight following the Orlando Magic’s thrilling win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday at Kia Center was on Paolo Banchero. A stat line of 50 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists is extraordinary.
But there were others who made a big impact as well. Among them was second-year guard Anthony Black, who hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from the left corner with 33 seconds left off a swing pass from Jalen Suggs.
“It started with a rotation up top and the ball just ended up getting swung around,” Black said. “J (Jalen) could have shot the three. I guess he could see the closeout. Once I saw him jump, I kind of feel like I was getting the ball. Once he swung it, it was an open shot. So shout out to J (Jalen).”
That shot was one of two huge threes he hit down the stretch, with the other coming from the other corner with 5 ½ minutes remaining. He also sank a pair of crucial free throws with just over two minutes left that put Orlando up three.
In addition to those clutch shots, the 6-foot-7, 200-pound guard was stifling defensively. The Pacers, as a team, shot just 4-of-13 from the field for the game and 0-of-4 in the fourth with him contesting, per Second Spectrum data.
“You know, we don’t win that game without AB,” Banchero said. “I think he just showed so much growth in this game alone. I think he was frustrated early in the second half with a couple of plays, missed layups, and last year, he probably would’ve taken himself out of the game mentally. This time around, he just channeled it into something positive, you know. Getting stops, being a pest on defense, and then shooting the ball with confidence and not caring if it was a make or a miss. He had one where it rattled out in the right corner and then Suggs trusted him with the game on the line in the left corner, and he knocked it down. We all are just really proud of him. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for him, you know. He’s just getting started.”
Through four games, Black is averaging 9.5 points on 48.3 percent overall shooting and 57.1 percent 3-point shooting.
Suggs is also off to a fantastic start. He finished Monday’s win with 25 points, two off his career high, five rebounds and seven assists. Like the rest of Orlando’s supporting cast, he is greatly benefitting off all the attention Banchero (and Franz Wagner) are getting. Ten of Suggs’ 17 shot attempts against the Pacers came off passes from Banchero, and he made three 3-pointers off those Banchero dishes.
Through his first four games, Suggs is averaging 16.8 points and is shooting 45.2 percent from beyond the arc. Most interesting about his long-distance shooting has been his deep range. Among the 22 players who have taken at least 30 threes so far, Suggs has the second deepest average 3-point shot distance at 28.2 feet. Only Trae Young has a deeper average shot distance on threes.
And again, the attention Banchero is receiving is creating more space for Suggs and others to get shots off from the outside without a ton of interference. So far, when Banchero is on the court, the Magic have taken 66 threes that have either been only lightly contested or not contested at all, per Second Spectrum, and they’ve made 27 of them (40.9 percent).
“When you get to see legendary things in person, it is actually so great,” Suggs said of Banchero. “To be around him every day and watch his work ethic, see how he’s impacted this organization, and our growth; it’s so dope. When they have moments like this, it’s beautiful and you love to acknowledge it because they’ve earned it. What a beautiful night for him too, man. He played amazing out there and it was a big catalyst in us getting that win. He’s a dog. He didn’t complain. He fought through it. He played defense, especially at the end on (Pascal) Siakam. He got a couple of big stops, and he got some good contests on the shots that led to some stops that we needed. So, yeah, big night for him.”