AB the PG development thread

[basketballRob]

Do you think that he ll end up the year averaging more assists, minutes, points, etc.... Than Cole?

It looks like it. AB has been the first player off the bench.

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[drsd]

Do you think that he ll end up the year averaging more assists, minutes, points, etc.... Than Cole?

It looks like it. AB has been the first player off the bench.

THe lack of a backup SF, and that the Magic will have PF depth probelmebs here and there, there will be a LOT of time where Black and Anthony are on the court together (with Black effectively being the SF).

In the Griz game, both Anthony and Black held back on defensive rebounds to start fast-breaks. That was an interesting set, as it allows both to pound the defensive glass also. As built: the Magic guards will be key for rebounding domination, which the Magic must have.

[RichCollab]

Do you think that he ll end up the year averaging more assists, minutes, points, etc.... Than Cole?

It looks like it. AB has been the first player off the bench.

THe lack of a backup SF, and that the Magic will have PF depth probelmebs here and there, there will be a LOT of time where Black and Anthony are on the court together (with Black effectively being the SF).

In the Griz game, both Anthony and Black held back on defensive rebounds to start fast-breaks. That was an interesting set, as it allows both to pound the defensive glass also. As built: the Magic guards will be key for rebounding domination, which the Magic must have.

Magic doesn’t have PF depth problems.

Paolo/JI/ WCJ/ Moe can all play PF. TDS is also a possibility though not sure he can guard legit PFs.

SF back up is Caleb and then guards sliding down to fill a hole. TDS may be able to play SF but lateral quickness is going to make it hard to guard SFs.

I do agree SF is our thinnest position and curious to see TDS on the floor to determine what he will be. He is a tweener in a bad way do to questions on who can he guard?

[drsd]

It looks like it. AB has been the first player off the bench.

THe lack of a backup SF, and that the Magic will have PF depth probelmebs here and there, there will be a LOT of time where Black and Anthony are on the court together (with Black effectively being the SF).

In the Griz game, both Anthony and Black held back on defensive rebounds to start fast-breaks. That was an interesting set, as it allows both to pound the defensive glass also. As built: the Magic guards will be key for rebounding domination, which the Magic must have.

Magic doesn’t have PF depth problems.

Paolo/JI/ WCJ/ Moe can all play PF. TDS is also a possibility though not sure he can guard legit PFs.

SF back up is Caleb and then guards sliding down to fill a hole. TDS may be able to play SF but lateral quickness is going to make it hard to guard SFs.

I do agree SF is our thinnest position and curious to see TDS on the floor to determine what he will be. He is a tweener in a bad way do to questions on who can he guard?

When Isaac is out, Orlando will need to play Bitadze / M-Wagner front-courts (we saw that in the Griz game). But that still has a knock on effect to SF depth. And thus, we ALSO saw Anthony and Black on the court together in the Griz game. This will continue, until the Magic trade Anthony.

As to Houstan, let's not pretend he is an NBA caliber of player. He is not.

[JoshuaPotter]

Wut???

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It’s only 3 games, but it’s night and day different. Here’s how AB is stacking up by some of the numbers:

MPG - 5th (currently even ahead of Suggs)
PPG - 6th
APG - 2nd (tied with Franz, behind Paolo)
Potential Assists - 2nd with 7.7 (behind Paolo with 9)
Touches - 3rd
Front court touches - 3rd
Drives - 2nd on the team with 5.7, only behind Paolo

He has really taken on a much bigger role so far this season and by the numbers the team is much better for it whenever he’s on the court.

Not enough analysis, homer post, toss out article, who does this author think he is, where do you find these guys, did an AI write this, usage rate isn't high enough, played against bums, coach didn't play him over a broomstick, you got to stop comparing him to Magic Johnson.

[JoshuaPotter]

I'm starting to think he's got all-star upside within a reasonable range.

I don't know about that yet. It is hilarious though that when I watch highlights from him it is essentially his college game at the NBA level + a spot up 3-ball he worked on all last year.

Reasonably speaking, his floor was discovered last year as 3&D. His new floor is closer so Saun Livingston or MCW. But he is in my humble opinion just getting warmed up.

[Bensational]

I'm starting to think he's got all-star upside within a reasonable range.

I don't know about that yet. It is hilarious though that when I watch highlights from him it is essentially his college game at the NBA level + a spot up 3-ball he worked on all last year.

Reasonably speaking, his floor was discovered last year as 3&D. His new floor is closer so Saun Livingston or MCW. But he is in my humble opinion just getting warmed up.

It'll be interesting to see how far he can go. He looks so much more confident this season - in that Memphis game he pulled up for 3 in transition, which I thought was really bold for a guy who wasn't a confident shooter last year. He's been stepping into a few mid range shots, going hard at the rim, pushing the pace and catching the defense off guard. I just love seeing him not hesitate to take a shot or go make something happen this season. Will be interesting to see what parts of his scoring become go-to moves for him as it grows and settles in.

Here's an interesting comp to track this season; Sophomore AB to Rookie Jalen Williams. I know, I know, it's only 3 games so the sample size is unreliable, but check the similarity on those Per36 numbers. I don't know if AB has the scoring upside to follow JWill's development after that, but if he can match the impact at the same age it's a start.

*EDIT - disclaimer: I'm aware Jalen Williams has much more natural scoring instincts and touch, and it's very low odds AB develops into that, but as far as being a secondary playmaker and facilitator I think there's a case to be made.

[eyriq]

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[JoshuaPotter]

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Not enough analysis, homer post, toss out article, who does this author think he is, where do you find these guys, did an AI write this, usage rate isn't high enough, played against bums, coach didn't play him over a broomstick, you got to stop comparing him to Magic Johnson, sunk cost.

-- I know, we were right about him, i'm showing the receipts --

[eyriq]

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Not enough analysis, homer post, toss out article, who does this author think he is, where do you find these guys, did an AI write this, usage rate isn't high enough, played against bums, coach didn't play him over a broomstick, you got to stop comparing him to Magic Johnson, sunk cost.

-- I know, we were right about him, i'm showing the receipts --

Run your post finder program and quote all the bad takes here

[Bensational]

Watch on YouTube

1:36 - AB gets into the paint, stops and pivots into a turnaround bank shot. I like that move for him and his size advantage, and I hope he does some more of it.

[Bensational]

Can we make ABMIP a thing?

[eyriq]

Can we make ABMIP a thing?

I'm more invested in the rising stars game but mip guarantees that so SURE

[eyriq]

Some new, objective analysis just dropped for you sickos out here

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[JoshuaPotter]

Read on Twitter

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Not enough analysis, homer post, toss out article, who does this author think he is, where do you find these guys, did an AI write this, usage rate isn't high enough, played against bums, coach didn't play him over a broomstick, you got to stop comparing him to Magic Johnson, sunk cost.

-- I know, we were right about him, i'm showing the receipts --

Run your post finder program and quote all the bad takes here

Naw, if I do that, relationships would be irreparable and it would set forum relationships back 100 years.

[JoshuaPotter]

Some new, objective analysis just dropped for you sickos out here

Read on Twitter

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Not enough analysis, homer post, toss out article, who does this author think he is, where do you find these guys, did an AI write this, usage rate isn't high enough, played against bums, coach didn't play him over a broomstick, you got to stop comparing him to Magic Johnson, sunk cost, biased post.

[JoshuaPotter]

Season is still young. He seems to be left wide open still in the corners and I imagine that is going to stop eventually thus bringing his percentage down. But when you have proven shooters like KCP / Harris and when Franz / Paolo / Suggs are altogether shooting a decent clip, you have to say Black is the "odd man out" on the 3-ball and thus gets 3 point practice drill shots.

At this point. I am going to say a PG version of Joe Ingles with Trevor Ariza defense is now the floor. He is slowly taking on a persona of "positionless basketball" in my head, while simultaneously getting more touches as the creator on offense and his usage rate thus far is top 4? A skyrocket improvement.

[J-Mezzy]

Will he push KCP to the bench?

[Bergmaniac]

Season is still young. He seems to be left wide open still in the corners and I imagine that is going to stop eventually thus bringing his percentage down. But when you have proven shooters like KCP / Harris and when Franz / Paolo / Suggs are altogether shooting a decent clip, you have to say Black is the "odd man out" on the 3-ball and thus gets 3 point practice drill shots.

At this point. I am going to say a PG version of Joe Ingles with Trevor Ariza defense is now the floor.

This is a very high floor. Ingles's PG skills are elite and he's a fantastic shooter. If we can get that with Ariza level defence and Black's size and athleticism that's a max player easily.

[JoshuaPotter]

Season is still young. He seems to be left wide open still in the corners and I imagine that is going to stop eventually thus bringing his percentage down. But when you have proven shooters like KCP / Harris and when Franz / Paolo / Suggs are altogether shooting a decent clip, you have to say Black is the "odd man out" on the 3-ball and thus gets 3 point practice drill shots.

At this point. I am going to say a PG version of Joe Ingles with Trevor Ariza defense is now the floor.

This is a very high floor. Ingles's PG skills are elite and he's a fantastic shooter. If we can get that with Ariza level defence and Black's size and athleticism that's a max player easily.

I was thinking Joe Ingles - last year - but as a PG with Ariza level defense.

Black has already proven that he is no slouch defensively. His average is 1.5 stocks (steals / blocks) per game and that is pretty good for a backup guy regardless of how you look at it.

As I was saying, last year it was pretty easy to say that 3&D is the kids floor and now he is showcasing a Ingles esque type of playmaking off the bench from last year. Hence the comparison.

Max player? Eh, no, but he is quickly approaching a Suggs level contract. Lets see how his numbers shake up once defenses start forcing him out of his comfort zones. Ideally, his numbers will dip, then youll see KCP / Suggs / Harris / Franz / Paolo become more consistent.

Right now, defenses are daring him to shoot, as if they watched zero footage last year.