The Orlando Magic, ranked seventh, are hosting the Atlanta Hawks, ranked eighth, in the 2025 NBA Play-In Tournament. Two teams that have overcome injuries and other hardships to have a chance at a postseason participation square off against one other.
The Magic got a preview of a future they hope will come sooner rather than later early in the contest between two of the Eastern Conference’s upset contenders.
Orlando lost to 29–35 on March 6 and seemed to have given up on having a memorable season. But the rest of the game ended in a 12–6 victory, partly because of a fresh focus on smothering defense and the rise of important young players.
With an incredible run of plays on both ends of the court during the Play-In game against the Hawks, Anthony Black, one of Orlando’s most promising players, demonstrated why he’s one of the most crucial pieces of that puzzle in the present and the future.
Less than a minute later, Black demonstrated his ability to do the task in the paint as well.
The Magic aspire to be a two-way force of nature that can rely on Black for these kinds of plays, and that explosive exhibition perfectly captures that vision.
Anthony Black has the ability to be spectacular on both ends of the court.
In the 2023 NBA Draft, the Magic selected Black, a 6’7″ playmaker, with the sixth overall pick. Over the course of his first two seasons, he has improved as a defender, scorer, and playmaker while regressing as a shooter.
However, the former Arkansas Razorbacks standout has shown glimpses of two-way genius, and the encouraging indicators have been nothing short of riveting.
Black averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 0.8 three-point field goals in 24.2 minutes per game at the end of the 2024–25 regular season. In terms of points, assists, rebounds, blocks, steals, and three-point field goals made per 36 minutes, he improved his output from 2023–24 to 2024–25.
Black averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 1.2 three-point field goals per 36 minutes, which is just as astounding as the progress.
Black’s ongoing growth may hold the secret to releasing the full potential of a squad that already has two up-and-coming talents in Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. He appears to be a player who can provide assistance during any stage of the game.
Although Black only converted 31.8 percent of his long-range tries in 2024–25, he still shot 39.4 percent in 2023–24, indicating that he has to work on his outside shooting.
Black might reach his full potential sooner rather than later if this blistering string of moves during the Play-In Tournament is an indication of things to come. The Magic might then be able to join the Eastern Conference contenders before having to pay Banchero max-level money.
Although it’s a lofty objective, Black is showing signs of being the component Orlando needs to formally make the move.
