LAS VEGAS — Magic second-year guard Anthony Black kept his answer short Saturday when asked what he learned from Orlando‘s first summer-league contest.
“We have a good team,” Black said with a smile after practice inside the Cox Pavilion.
The Magic led by as many as 35 points, had four scorers finish in double figures and outpaced Cleveland 30-6 in fastbreak points during Friday’s 106-79 victory that served as the debut for No. 18 pick Tristan da Silva.
“We came out to a good start,” Black said. “It was my first time playing with Tristan, so it was definitely a lot of fun. Just his IQ and just the way he moves out there, it makes it easy to play with him.
“Jett [Howard] played well, too. It was really a first fun game.”
It was Howard who led the squad with his accurate 3-point shooting (5 of 10 for 22 points), Black who commanded Orlando’s offense and da Silva who found his spots for success.
Although the Magic summer-league roster was put together less than 10 days ago, the group blended well together throughout the 27-point win over the Cavs.
Black explained why Orlando opened Las Vegas summer league the way it did.
“I just think because of how smart this team is,” he said. “We’re all starting to get a feel for each other. And we’re getting easy looks for each other. Our degree of difficulty for most of our shots is pretty low.
“We’re definitely just playing good basketball all around and we’re having fun, so it’s definitely good,” he added.
Black mentioned on Saturday he’s put on 7-8 pounds of muscle in the past year in order to add strength to his 6-8 wingspan and 6-7 height. It’s part of what allowed him to attack the paint with confidence and a sense of physicality to finish around the rim.
“I felt pretty strong out there [Friday], so that’s definitely an area we’re working on, for sure,” he said.
Magic summer-league coach Lionel Chalmers added that the second-year guard is mentally stronger, too.
“He’s holding the ball a little longer, he’s probing better, he’s making more contact and still being able to finish it,” he said.
As Howard and Black appeared more confident and developed in their second summer league, which was expected, da Silva worked his best to complement their game.
The rookie sank a trio of 3s on 5 attempts and added 4 assists with one steal. Chalmers was impressed with da Silva’s play on both sides of the court.
“He’s patient,” the Magic coach said. “He understands the timing and the momentum of the game. He’s unselfish but he can also get it himself. You can put him in any position on the court and he will find success.”
Orlando hopes to replicate its opening summer-league performance when it faces the Pelicans on Sunday (7:30 ET, NBA TV) at Cox Pavilion.
Chalmers believes his group understands what Orlando hopes to accomplish at summer league despite the wins and losses not holding as much weight and the roster so fresh.
It’s why the team was able to put its chemistry on display in their first game Friday.
“They have a done great job of being together even outside of their game or outside of practice,” he said. “I give credit to them, or to us, for just making sure everyone’s included and we do this together.”
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Up next
Sunday vs. Pelicans, 7:30 (NBA TV), Cox Pavilion
