Tag: Anthony Black

ORLANDO, Fla. — If Anthony Black and Jett Howard were nervous entering their first training camp with the Orlando Magic, they didn’t show it on the court.

The two lottery picks impressed as the Magic opened up training camp on Tuesday at the AdventHealth Training Center. They seemed to grasp the concepts and were up to speed with what the coaching staff was asking of them.

“I think they look really good,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Their level of concentration was up. The guys were doing a great job of walking and helping them through. There wasn’t a lot of pause and stoppage for that reason. Our coaches do a great job of explaining things and laying out the game plan before the practice even starts.”

Said Jonathan Isaac: “They played great.”

Black and Howard had a bit of a crash course on various sets and coverages in a minicamp ahead of the NBA Summer League in July. That team used much of the same terminology that is being implemented ahead of the season.

Of course, there will be new things thrown at them but their summer practices have helped the learning curve in the early going when game results will really start to count.

“I think it helped me a lot,” Black said. “We were doing a lot of the same concepts (in summer league), especially defensively. It is now just playing with different dudes, different talents and different things. It helped me out for sure.”

Magic rookies Anthony Black and Jett Howard are grouped up shooting 3s after the first practice of training camp today: pic.twitter.com/08ge4AzskJ

— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) October 3, 2023

The Magic throughout training camp will look to hammer home their principal concepts, such as setting screens, limiting turnovers and crashing the glass. The team will be also looking to see how players can defend, and do so without fouling.

The team returned much of the same roster as last year and is as healthy as it has been in recent memory. The group got through the first practice of training camp without any injuries and will have a full roster as the week progresses.

The veterans have helped players like Black and Howard with the transition to this point of the process, and will continue to guide them as needed this season.

“Every day it is a different dude just telling me about pace, finding my teammates, playing a little bit slower, defensive tips,” Black said. “It is all types of stuff. They’re definitely doing a good job of teaching me and Jett what it is we’re trying to do.”

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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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ORLANDO, Fla. — Since joining the Orlando Magic, rookies Anthony Black and Jett Howard have impressed the organization with their work ethic and willingness to learn.

Among them is guard Jalen Suggs.

Black and Howard have spent time around the team throughout the summer working out in the gym. They started working with the coaching staff and some of their new teammates and have earned high marks for their early efforts.

Suggs has been in Orlando for much of the offseason. He even got in the gym with Black shortly after the NBA draft and has already started building chemistry with him and Howard.

He gave the two some praise at a team event on Friday.

They have been great. I think they’ve come in and (are) willing to learn and grow; they’ve taken strides already. I’m very excited to see what they’ll bring and continue to be there (for them). I’m still in that middle ground where I’m not old but I’ve seen a couple of training camps and I’ve seen the league and have been in some games so (I’m just) trying to teach them and share with them what I’ve experienced so far.

The two players had their first opportunity to hit the court with the Magic in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both appeared in three games before being shut down.

Black and Howard have the luxury of learning from players like Suggs, who is entering his third year with the Magic. Others, such as Cole Anthony, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, have been in their shoes recently, too, and can help them along the way as they begin their careers.

With the Magic beginning training camp on Oct. 3, Black and Howard will soon take the court when the games start to matter. They appear to be up for the challenge.

The Magic open the preseason on Oct. 10 at New Orleans.

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