Anthony Black - Arkansas

[SeattleJazzFan]

yeah, black definitely not the scorer cade is. that's no knock on him necessarily, they are just different players.

[clyde21]

you still can't compare him to negative space players and non-shooters like Giddey, no one is leaving Black open, his mechanics top to bottom are solid and has many multi made 3s games already this season.

it's not an ability issue, it's a volume issue. he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume which is why i specifically said he's a less-scoring oriented Cade, so you guys are just repeating the idea.

[azcatz11]

He looked awful last night and his body is not developed. I wouldn’t touch him in the lotto

[SeattleJazzFan]

you still can't compare him to negative space players and non-shooters like Giddey, no one is leaving Black open, his mechanics top to bottom are solid and has many multi made 3s games already this season.

it's not an ability issue, it's a volume issue. he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume which is why i specifically said he's a less-scoring oriented Cade, so you guys are just repeating the idea.

he doesn't have Cade's skillset as a scorer. that's one reason he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume. it's okay. doesn't mean he's a bad player, just not that type of player.

[clyde21]

you still can't compare him to negative space players and non-shooters like Giddey, no one is leaving Black open, his mechanics top to bottom are solid and has many multi made 3s games already this season.

it's not an ability issue, it's a volume issue. he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume which is why i specifically said he's a less-scoring oriented Cade, so you guys are just repeating the idea.

he doesn't have Cade's skillset as a scorer. that's one reason he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume. it's okay. doesn't mean he's a bad player, just not that type of player.

you're more than welcome to show me a skillset that Cade has that AB doesn't have with the ball

i'm sure you're gonna bring a bunch of video evidence in your next post.

[BostonCouchGM]

this guy and Whitehead, I just never saw it. I have no idea what the scouts are seeing. Late 1st talents

[BoyzNTheHood]

this guy and Whitehead, I just never saw it. I have no idea what the scouts are seeing. Late 1st talents

Both of those guys will be studs in the NBA. Guaranteed (barring injuries).

[crows2]

you still can't compare him to negative space players and non-shooters like Giddey, no one is leaving Black open, his mechanics top to bottom are solid and has many multi made 3s games already this season.

it's not an ability issue, it's a volume issue. he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume which is why i specifically said he's a less-scoring oriented Cade, so you guys are just repeating the idea.

Whilst valid comparisons to make, I still don’t think Black’s playmaking is anywhere near the level of someone like Giddey. Black is a good passer for his height (which is what makes him intriguing as a prospect), but he’s not absolutely elite in that area. His athleticism and shooting may be superior to Giddey, but he doesn’t possess an elite-level trait like Giddey does. Black’s more of a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none kind of prospect.

[babyjax13]

you still can't compare him to negative space players and non-shooters like Giddey, no one is leaving Black open, his mechanics top to bottom are solid and has many multi made 3s games already this season.

it's not an ability issue, it's a volume issue. he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume which is why i specifically said he's a less-scoring oriented Cade, so you guys are just repeating the idea.

Whilst valid comparisons to make, I still don’t think Black’s playmaking is anywhere near the level of someone like Giddey. Black is a good passer for his height (which is what makes him intriguing as a prospect), but he’s not absolutely elite in that area. His athleticism and shooting may be superior to Giddey, but he doesn’t possess an elite-level trait like Giddey does. Black’s more of a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none kind of prospect.

I half agree. I think Black's vision and feel for the game are pretty elite unless you are looking at the absolute upper echelon of NBA players. But if you told me Black finished say ... top 5 in assists multiple times in his career, that doesn't seem implausible. Add to it that he is a big, switchable guard who can hit open shots, I think that has a lot of value (not saying you are arguing this). In terms of role, I could see him occupying a similar space as Marcus Smart, but with higher upside due to his size, and superior basketball IQ. Lonzo is another interestingish comp, but I think Black is not quite as good at making the 'pass to the pass,' and is going to have the ball stick to his hands just a bit more.

[crows2]

you still can't compare him to negative space players and non-shooters like Giddey, no one is leaving Black open, his mechanics top to bottom are solid and has many multi made 3s games already this season.

it's not an ability issue, it's a volume issue. he doesn't have Cade's shooting volume which is why i specifically said he's a less-scoring oriented Cade, so you guys are just repeating the idea.

Whilst valid comparisons to make, I still don’t think Black’s playmaking is anywhere near the level of someone like Giddey. Black is a good passer for his height (which is what makes him intriguing as a prospect), but he’s not absolutely elite in that area. His athleticism and shooting may be superior to Giddey, but he doesn’t possess an elite-level trait like Giddey does. Black’s more of a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none kind of prospect.

I half agree. I think Black's vision and feel for the game are pretty elite unless you are looking at the absolute upper echelon of NBA players. But if you told me Black finished say ... top 5 in assists multiple times in his career, that doesn't seem implausible. Add to it that he is a big, switchable guard who can hit open shots, I think that has a lot of value (not saying you are arguing this). In terms of role, I could see him occupying a similar space as Marcus Smart, but with higher upside due to his size, and superior basketball IQ. Lonzo is another interestingish comp, but I think Black is not quite as good at making the 'pass to the pass,' and is going to have the ball stick to his hands just a bit more.

Yeah pretty much. Black is probably "elite for his size", but not "elite regardless of size", if you get what I mean. In my opinion, Giddey is an elite passer regardless of size. Fortunately for Black, he's more athletic, and seems to be a better shooter, so when it's all said and done he'll probably be a similar level of prospect. But if he had an absolutely elite NBA skill (such as playmaking) he'd probably be a top 4 lock rather than simply being in the mix between picks 3-10 as he is currently.

[CptCrunch]

I'm going to make Black my #3 right now.

He is a Cade Cunningham v2 for me, with less shooting but more creation effectiveness. Please note that while I am one of the biggest Cade 'haters', I think highly of Cade as a PG prospect. I have just historically disagreed with the assessment that Cade was the #1 draft pick for his class.

Black is a truth freshman with the size of a NBA SF and NBA point guard skills. He is a good athlete for his size and has no crippling weaknesses in his game. (Cade's lack of NBA first step is causing issues with his penetration creation/scoring). He shows great maturity in his post game interviews, and this indicates good potential for growth.

His position isn't secure as we have 2.5 months of basketball left. Other prospects can rise above him but I can't place the Thompsons or Miller above Black.

This year, we have had quite a few disappointing freshmen, so the whole draft range between 3-8 is really muddy right now. A team is going to draft a prospect and that prospect will develop and make everyone's take look dumb. It's one of those years.

[clyde21]

i don't think we need to add qualifier 'for his size' about his passing chops, he's good passer for any size or position, yea not quite the level of Giddey but at this point Giddey might be a top 5 pure passer in the NBA.

he does offer a lot more versatility than Giddey tho, way more force at the POA and a bigger multi-level thread, and a much better overall athlete.

Cade to me remains the best comp, obv some differences (volume scoring), but they'll occupy essentially the same role/archetype in an NBA offense.

[EMG518]

I'm going to make Black my #3 right now.

He is a Cade Cunningham v2 for me, with less shooting but more creation effectiveness. Please note that while I am one of the biggest Cade 'haters', I think highly of Cade as a PG prospect. I have just historically disagreed with the assessment that Cade was the #1 draft pick for his class.

Black is a truth freshman with the size of a NBA SF and NBA point guard skills. He is a good athlete for his size and has no crippling weaknesses in his game. (Cade's lack of NBA first step is causing issues with his penetration creation/scoring). He shows great maturity in his post game interviews, and this indicates good potential for growth.

His position isn't secure as we have 2.5 months of basketball left. Other prospects can rise above him but I can't place the Thompsons or Miller above Black.

This year, we have had quite a few disappointing freshmen, so the whole draft range between 3-8 is really muddy right now. A team is going to draft a prospect and that prospect will develop and make everyone's take look dumb. It's one of those years.

i don't think we need to add qualifier 'for his size' about his passing chops, he's good passer for any size or position, yea not quite the level of Giddey but at this point Giddey might be a top 5 pure passer in the NBA.

he does offer a lot more versatility than Giddey tho, way more force at the POA and a bigger multi-level thread, and a much better overall athlete.

Cade to me remains the best comp, obv some differences (volume scoring), but they'll occupy essentially the same role/archetype in an NBA offense.

What are you guys seeing that makes you think Cade that I am not seeing. I don't see remotely similar profiles. Black has the quicker 1st step, more bounce, taller, but I don't see the shot, offensive repertoire, or handle that Cade has.

They don't seem similar to me.

[clyde21]

b2b off-ball defensive sequences for AB, top tier IQ, energy and movement.

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[CptCrunch]

I just want to point out that Cade was at 3.5 apg/4.0 tov in college and was labeled as an NBA point forward. Black is at 4.1 apg / 3.2 tov in college is being labeled as an 'average' passer by the draft media with no exceptional skills.

Coby White, Darius Garland, Jalen Suggs, Cade Cunninghim are the only freshman point guards drafted over the past few years. Freshman basically never look good passing the ball in power conferences. Suggs has better passing counting stats than Black; otherwise, Black has better passing stats than the other 3 players. Watching this kid, I haven't seen a better point guard prospect in a while in terms of passing vision and making the right play.

I would argue (without evidence) that Black will develop into a supberb floor general in the NBA (and that Cade's passes are extremely rudimentary in nature and simple reads at best, not all passes in the NBA are the same).

Don't want to make this a thread about Cade. Black and Cade are both 6'7" point guards of some sort. That's their similarity - if you disagree, list for me the other 6'7" point guards in the league.

[The-Power]

I just want to point out that Cade was at 3.5 apg/4.0 tov in college and was labeled as an NBA point forward. Black is at 4.1 apg / 3.2 tov in college is being labeled as an 'average' passer by the draft media with no exceptional skills.

Who calls Black an average passer? Also, there's a giant gap between ‘average’ and ‘exceptional’.

[clyde21]

I just want to point out that Cade was at 3.5 apg/4.0 tov in college and was labeled as an NBA point forward. Black is at 4.1 apg / 3.2 tov in college is being labeled as an 'average' passer by the draft media with no exceptional skills.

Who calls Black an average passer? Also, there's a giant gap between ‘average’ and ‘exceptional’.

that's true, but he's closer to exceptional than average as a passer, and I think that part of his game is starting to become really underrated, he's legitimate lead guard prospect and one of the better ones we've seen recently.

[SeattleJazzFan]

lol. nobody calls black an average passer. the passing ability is one of the things people love most about black.

[EvanZ]

I just want to point out that Cade was at 3.5 apg/4.0 tov in college and was labeled as an NBA point forward. Black is at 4.1 apg / 3.2 tov in college is being labeled as an 'average' passer by the draft media with no exceptional skills.

LMAO this is why I stopped following whatever "draft media" is. I assume you mean two people, Vecenie and Givony.

[1eyedjake]

Something about him reminds me a little of Jimmy 'Buckets' Butler