Catledge wrote:pepe1991 wrote:Catledge wrote:I think the most likely of the possible explanations that people don't like is that Black is a wing and Howard is a combo forward.
By this logic, both have clear paths to playing time: Black has to outplay Harris, and Howard has to have a pulse when Isaac gets hurt.
To anticipate a point that has been made upthread: Lots and lots of rookie wings can't shoot. It's incredibly common and is part of what makes them projects.
There is no objective adventage for Black at SF position. No jumpshot, average size, average height, average first step.
His only adventage in basketball is his size at PG.
This is kind of another way of saying that he has the build and athleticism of a wing, isn't it? I mean, there is a reason why very few players with his size become fulltime PGs, and Black doesn't seem to have the kind of elite ball handling that is typically required of big lead guards.
Off the top of my head, the only two lead guards in the league with Black's size are Harden and Luka. If Black turns out to have that level of ball handling and passing without the jump shot, then he is a PG, but that seems pretty unlikely to me at this stage.
As to Jett's path to playing time as a forward, Houstan and Okeke aren't really penciled into the nine-man rotation, and not having to unseat an established player seems consistent with having a path to playing time. Isaac and Ingles are both likely to be on minutes restrictions and to be held out of back-to-backs, and that's when both are nominally healthy, which seems unlikely to be the norm.
PG: Fultz / Cole
SG: Harris / Suggs
SF : Franz /Ingles
PF: Banchero / Isaac
C : Wendell /
i think that's 9 men active rotation.
If Isaac is broken ( again) than AB , OKeke, Jett, Houstan will fight it out for 9th man. But also 9th man is probably 12-18 mpg low usage player.
Under current roster construction and some playoff aspirations ( and players who almost all are in contract years) to me, active roster is pretty much set, if there is no injuries going into a season. Things can change over time, and probably will but for time being i really struggle to see Jett in active rotation and i see AB as fringe man in rotation,
And to touch on Knightros & MM "Free throws " being difference between Fultz and AB, i would not bank on that claim just yet. After 3 SL game , Black went to ft line 3,6 times a game. That's not bad, but he isn't some knockdown FT shooter either. 70% in ncaa, 6-11 in SL.
Especially because i just don't see how he will break down defense on regular bases and get at rim other than bulldogging through defender. That strategy was something we thought Suggs will be able to do ( as waaaaaaaaay better athlete, quicker, faster, with bigger bounce etc) but it simply doesn't work for him due rather limited ability to suprise defense with jumpshots, floaters, mediocre ballhandling skills and rather poor decision making.
Black is probably smarter player than Suggs, but also worst athlete.
Right now people are simply fooling themslefs if they think Black is any scoring treat in any way, fashion nor form but going at rim. I also don't think he is some epic playmaker that some people delude themselfs into thinking. I think he is similar prospect to Scottie Barnes, in sense that he will look great if team around him actually decides to play to his strenghts ( that probably won't help team win games any time soon, like it was case with rookie season of Barnes) but also he will look very mediocre if team decides to drift from defering to him ( Scottie Barnes second year).
In modern basketball if you aren't cutter ,aren't elite playmaker, aren't elite scorer, you simply aren't starting level player. Especially not PG nor SF.
At the end of a day, Black on Magic makes no sense. We can talk to oblivion how potential trades will solve it, but until they happend, it stands, Anthony Black, as 6th pick, makes no sense on Orlando Magic. He is just arhytype of less potent scoring Jalen Suggs who just happends to be bit taller. That's pretty much it.
I'm also fed up with "almost made playin " talk. Like it's some grand achivment. you litearlly need to be better than 4 out of 14 teams to get there. And among those 4, at least 3 don't even try.
Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. -John Lennon