ORLANDO, Fla. — Jamahl Mosley has said Anthony Black and Jett Howard would have to earn their playing time this season with the Orlando Magic, and the two rookies are ready for the challenge.
Black and Howard have their first taste of the NBA on Tuesday when the Magic open training camp at the AdventHealth Training Center. The session will be the first opportunity for the two players to prove themselves to Mosley and the rest of the team.
Mosley on Monday explained how they can separate themselves.
They’ve done a great job of working over the summer and understanding what we’re asking. But, defensively, that is going to be the first thing. How do you sit down and guard? Can you come in and compete against these guys every single day? I think they’ve taken that challenge on, which I really admire.
They will have their work cut out for them with the Magic boasting a healthy roster. No player will have any restrictions on the court entering training camp, something that has eluded the team after dealing with so many injuries in recent years.
The expectations for the Magic are also higher this year after the group was in the play-in race up until the final week of last season. The team is undoubtedly high on Black and Howard after drafting them in the lottery this year, but it is a bit difficult to project their roles now.
“I think it is going to be harder for these guys to get on the floor, quite honestly,” Magic president Jeff Weltman said. “We’re not gifting anybody minutes and that is a good thing. That means that we’re getting better. I don’t know how great we are, but I think we have good depth. We have talent spread out positionally. I know they’re both going to work. I know they’re both going to be great teammates.”
Magic president Jeff Weltman on his expectations for Anthony Black and Jett Howard and them earning their playing time this year: pic.twitter.com/YXNj7wXhgB
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) October 2, 2023
Black, the sixth pick, and Howard, the 11th pick, are excited about the opportunity to compete for playing time. They relish the chance to prove themselves on the court and wouldn’t want to have it any other way entering the NBA.
“I think that’s how it should be for anybody no matter where you’re picked or anything like,” Black said. “You still gotta come in and prove yourself to your teammates and coaches and everybody in the organization. I’m definitely excited to do that.”
Said Howard: “I feel like on all levels I’ve had to do that. You want, at the end of the day, to be in that environment that is for that and a culture that is for that instead of something that is just kind of given to you.”
Anthony Black says he is excited to prove himself in training camp starting tomorrow: pic.twitter.com/oCva0rcoTN
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) October 2, 2023
The two players have had the opportunity to get in the gym and work with their teammates. Much of the roster has been in Orlando over the past month or so and has spent plenty of time together on and off of the court.
They have impressed those around them in the early going and appear to already be earning the trust of their teammates. That should prove very valuable for them throughout the preseason.
“(They are) great kids,” Joe Ingles said. “They play the right way; they play hard. They’ve been in here working. I think, obviously, with every rookie, there is a transition period of how different the game is, but both bring different things and will help the group tremendously.”
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