WASHINGTON, D.C. - One could argue, even though he’s just a 19-year-old rookie with 27 NBA games under his belt, that Anthony Black is already one of the league’s best defensive guards. Very few players at his position possess his defensive attributes (length, instincts, screen alertness, and anticipation).
Being so young, he’s still far, far away from reaching his defensive ceiling, however. If he develops as many believe he will, NBA All-Defensive Teams could be in his future.
With that said, it’s not only his defensive capabilities making him such a promising young player. There’s plenty of untapped offensive potential within him as well.
Some of that was on display on Tuesday in the nation’s capital, as the 6-foot-7, 200-pounder out of the University of Arkansas recorded a career-best 23 points in the Orlando Magic’s 127-119 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Black, whose career scoring high prior to Tuesday’s breakout performance was 13 points, got into a good rhythm early, tallying 11 of his points in the first quarter. For the game, he made nine of his 13 floor shots, including going 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds and four steals.
“I think (I was) just doing a good job of cutting just because of how much focus and eyes Franz (Wagner), Paolo (Banchero), and really everybody else get,” he said. “I get a lot of easy ones from them. Got a couple ones in transition. Got pretty open threes, to be honest. I’m pretty sure most of my points were assisted. So, it definitely goes out to the guys for finding me.”
Wagner and Banchero, meanwhile, both had strong second halves. Wagner, who was a plus-26 on the night, finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, while Banchero had 24 points, three rebounds and eight dimes. It was the 10th time this season they each scored 20-plus points in the same game.
It was their playmaking and the way they read the game, combining for 17 of Orlando’s 30 assists, that shined most.
“I think it’s both me and Paolo’s responsibility,” Wagner said. “The coaches give us a lot of trust. Our teammates trust us a lot, so I think it’s our responsibility when we have the ball so much to just make the right play every time and be aggressive. Try to make plays and make the right decision.”
Jalen Suggs, who missed the last two games with a sore left wrist, posted 11 points in his return. Cole Anthony also scored 11 and Goga Bitadze, who helped seal the win with a dunk with 32 seconds left off a feed from Banchero. tallied 10 points and seven rebounds. Still out for the Magic were Markelle Fultz (knee) and Joe Ingles (ankle). Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) also didn’t play. The Wizards were at full strength.
A close game much of the way, the Magic created a cushion with a 15-5 late third/early fourth quarter run.
The Magic outscored the Wizards 70-48 in the paint. Orlando, which had been struggling with their 3-point shooting the last couple weeks, knocked down 12 of their 26 attempts from beyond the arc (46.2 percent).
Looking for their third straight win, the Magic will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid (ankle) is out for the Sixers.