{"id":107755,"date":"2024-11-22T04:20:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T09:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=107755"},"modified":"2024-11-22T04:26:40","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T09:26:40","slug":"magic-lottery-pick-anthony-black-warcraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/22\/magic-lottery-pick-anthony-black-warcraft\/","title":{"rendered":"Magic Lottery Pick Is Developing Warcraft"},"content":{"rendered":"

What looked like a Cinderella season for the Orlando Magic has become much, much more. After going 47-35 in 2023-24, largely due to 2022 No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero<\/a>\u2019s All-Star metamorphosis, the Magic are 10-7 a fifth of the way through 2024-25.<\/p>\n

Yet, this time, it hasn\u2019t been Banchero doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. He did get off to an excellent start<\/a>, and is currently posting career-highs of 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game. However, the freshly minted 22-year-old has missed the Magic\u2019s last 12 games with a torn oblique<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Magic Lottery Pick Anthony Black Is Developing Warcraft<\/h2>\n

Orlando didn\u2019t handle Banchero\u2019s absence well initially, losing their first four games without him.<\/p>\n

Then 2021 No. 8 pick Franz Wagner<\/a> elevated his play, and they were able to rattle off<\/a> six straight wins. In that stretch, Wagner averaged 29.0 points, 6.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He converted 47.0 percent of his steals and 37.0 percent of his threes. This wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019s gotten on a roll, but it was undoubtedly the best stretch of his career.<\/p>\n

Banchero has had a front row seat to the show, as he\u2019s been fully engaged with his teammates despite his injury status. Penning a first-hand account of Wagner\u2019s performance for Andscape, he acknowledges that his frontcourt mate is being forced to play an unnatural role<\/a>. Nonetheless, he commends him:<\/p>\n

\u201cFranz is a pretty naturally, calculated, conservative guy. He never wants to do too much, or he never wants to take the take the shot over to double team. With me being out, he\u2019s had to do that and he\u2019s done amazing. He\u2019s really stepping into that role, and that\u2019s what you want to see. He just got a max contract over the summer. And he\u2019s playing better than what you\u2019d expect.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wagner isn\u2019t the only Magic player whose transformation was a difference-maker during that stretch though. 2023 No. 6 pick Anthony Black<\/a> also found a new gear.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFrom a year ago to now, his maturity has gone to a different level,\u201d #Magic<\/a> coach Jamahl Mosley said of Anthony Black\u2019s growth. \u201cHis belief in what he\u2019s capable of doing, his command of the floor\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Full quote with video, via @Magic_PR<\/a>: pic.twitter.com\/NOBztIIFOy<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mason Williams (@mvsonwilliams) November 21, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n