ORLANDO – There are a lot of ways for teams in the NBA to improve over the course of the offseason.
They can sign free agents, make trades, and add quality pieces through the draft.
They can also make significant process simply through internal growth.
The 2023-24 Orlando Magic were the perfect example of that concept. The franchise only signed one outside free agent, veteran Joe Ingles, and still made a 13-win improvement – the largest in the Eastern Conference – over their prior season.
The only other additions made to that team were two rookies, Anthony Black and Jett Howard.
While their contributions varied over the course of the season, Black and Howard have the ability to play significant roles for the Magic next season. Both players have skillsets that the organization covets, and through hard work and dedication this summer, they can help fill some of the team’s current needs.
“I’m not exactly sure yet how we’ll look to target our needs,” said Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman of the team’s plans this summer. “Sometimes it can be done through trades. It can be done through draft. When I stood here last year and talked about internal growth, if you think about what we’ve done this year, we added Joe Ingles and two rookies, and we went from 34 to 47 (wins).”
Black, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, appeared in 69 games for the Magic this season, including 33 starts. He averaged 4.6 points, 1.3 assists and 0.5 steals per outing. The 6-foot-7, 200-pounder showed that he could be an integral part of a winning unit, serving as a starter during Orlando’s season-long nine-game winning streak that stretched from November into December.
“It was super helpful,” Black explained. “I got to see some parts of my game that I need to work on while also getting to just play, honestly, on a playoff-level team. I think all of it did a lot of good for me. I’ll definitely be going back and watching the film to see what we can get better on, for sure. All the experience – the playing, the not playing – it all helped. It’s all good for character. It’s all good in the long run.”
At the moment, Black’s biggest asset in his defense. He has tremendous size and length, and is tenacious in his approach on that end of the floor. If he were to solidify a role in the Magic’s rotation next season, he would only add to a team that made defense their calling card and finished with the league’s third-best defensive rating in 2023-24.
“(We want) to get better, but not at the expense of the things that cost us our DNA,” Weltman explained. There’s a reason that we were a good team this year, and we don’t want to lose that.”
On the flipside, Black is looking to improve as a shooter. While his outside shot was considered a weakness of his coming into the league, he made noticeable growth over the course of his rookie campaign in his shooting form and in his confidence to take open shots from the outside. After shooting just 26.1 percent from 3-point range over the first two months of the season, Black shot over 44.4 percent from long range in both December and January.
“(Magic shooting coach) Jeremiah (Boswell) and I have been working hard on it since I got here,” Black said. “It was definitely good seeing a little bit of results actually kind of early on. I was definitely feeling a little bit more confident as the season went on. Hopefully, next year, we can just keep building on that.”
Howard, on the other hand, can without a doubt provide a boost to the Magic’s most discussed need – shooting. While he only appeared sparingly for Orlando this season, he spent significant time in Osceola with the organization’s G League affiliate. While in Osceola, Howard, the No. 11 overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, averaged 18.8 points per game.
“I think that Jett had a great rookie year,” Weltman explained. “Obviously, it’s not going to show up to the fans who come to the Orlando games, but Jett had a great rookie year. He got so much better in a lot of areas that we had targeted when we drafted him. When we talk about the team needs shooting, Jett is a very talented young man. He’s worked really hard. He’s expressed the humility and the drive and the work ethic. It doesn’t matter where (he is, he’s) there to get better. (He’s) there to get better, so that when (he) comes to Orlando, (he’s) ready to help the team. So, I’m really excited about the season that he had (and) the way that the G League was used.”
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Michigan alum, shot close to 38 percent from distance and knocked down the fifth-most 3-pointers (104) in the entire G League this year.
“It’s something that I’ve always been able to do,” he explained. “Just having them trust in me to take those shots would be great … I think we have a lot of great shooters from me, Caleb (Houstan), Gary (Harris), Joe (Ingles). It’s just a matter of taking them. I feel like everyone can really shoot in that locker room.”
Orlando has a lockstep relationship with its G League squad. Osceola head coach Dylan Murphy and General Manager Kevin Tiller II both spent time with the parent club before taking their current roles. The G League team practices out of the Kia Center, and the team runs some similar concepts to those executed in Orlando.
Murphy worked relentlessly with Howard on all aspects of his game, but with a heavy focus on his defense. An improvement in that area would certainly help him earn a spot in Orlando’s rotation next season.
“This is probably the best defensive team that I’ve ever seen and been around,” Howard explained. “I know I’m biased, but I really feel like that. Everyone can guard one through five. It’s kind of infectious when you’re around that all the time. I think I’ve grown tremendously because Osceola teaches the same exact stuff and has the same exact schemes that we have up here. I think I’ve grown tremendously.”
Both Black and Howard mentioned in their exit interviews that they plan on spending most of their summer in Orlando working closely with the Magic’s coaches.
“It’s a huge summer (for them),” said Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley. “(They were able to) realize and recognize what it means to be a playoff team, to get to a Game 7, (and) to battle throughout the year. (For) them to experience it and be part of it, they (learned) exactly how hard you have to work, how physical it can be, (and) how taxing it can be on your body. So, making sure you’re taking care of your body and your mind throughout the summer, to make sure you’re putting yourself in position to give yourself a chance.”
That formula has worked before for Magic youngsters. Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Franz Wagner have all made significant strides year in and year out, and often credit Orlando’s coaches and training staff for their success.
“I’ve definitely heard that recipe before,” Howard explained. “Just staying here (for) pretty much the whole summer. I don’t really plan on going anywhere. I’m just (planning on) learning and being around the coaches all the time. Gaining more knowledge. I think that will play a big part in it.”
And the Magic’s two rookies can play a big part for the team next season if they work diligently this summer with that goal in mind.