Magic select Anthony Black, Jett Howard with first-round picks in NBA draft

The Orlando Magic, who entered Thursday’s NBA draft with multiple backcourt options, added another guard to the roster.

The Magic selected Arkansas’ Anthony Black with the No. 6 pick.

Two years after drafting Jalen Suggs at No. 5 in 2021 and selecting Cole Anthony at No. 15 in 2020, Black is the third young guard Orlando’s added through the draft in the last four years.

Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 pick in 2017 who the Magic traded for in February 2019, was Orlando’s starting point guard after returning from a toe injury in December.

But that didn’t prevent the Magic from drafting Black, who many analysts considered one of the best passers and playmakers in this class.

“We approached this draft wanting to add IQ, defensive versatility, size, team orientation and Anthony is one of the smartest players in the draft, maybe the smartest,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “We feel like he has an elite-level understanding of the game.

“He’s a multi-positional defender at a very high level. Not just he can guard guys, he can guard guys well. His game represents who he is as a person. He’s all about his teammates. He’s all about raising the ceiling for others. He’s a unique talent.”

The Magic once again dipped into the University of Michigan pipeline with their second lottery pick, taking guard/forward Jett Howard at No. 11.

Orlando took fellow Michigan alums Caleb Houstan at No. 32 in last year’s draft and Franz Wagner at No. 8 in the 2021 draft. Moe Wagner, the Magic’s lone free agent, is also a Michigan alum.

Howard, an IMG Academy alum and son of former NBA All-Star and Michigan coach Juwan Howard, averaged 14.2 points (41.4% shooting — 49.6% on 2s, 36.8% on 3s), 2.8 rebounds and 2 assists in his lone season with the Wolverines.

“Jett’s not just a shooter,” Weltman said. “Jett is skilled, he’s got good size but the hidden thing about Jett is he played most of the season injured. We believe there’s more to Jett than he was able to show.

“We feel like a lot of what he was going to show the second half of the season was masked with injury. He’s an easy two-to-the-ball passer. He brings a ton of gravity. We need all of those things.”

Black, a 5-star and 2022 McDonald’s All-American, started from Day One as a freshman at Arkansas.

He averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals in 36 games en route to being named to the All-Southeastern Conference second team and SEC All-Freshman team. Black was a significant reason why the Razorbacks made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA men’s tournament before falling to UConn, the eventual champion.

At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, Black is a jumbo guard who could provide high-level playmaking, versatile defense and be a connector on both ends of the floor.

“I take a lot of pride in defense,” Black said. “That’s a lot of the reason I’m here, is my defense. That’s something I can bring from Day One.”

Black trained at IMG Academy in Bradenton and had a scheduled workout for the Magic on June 14.

Offensively, he can make pretty much any pass and has the size to see over defenses. Defensively, he’s versatile and should be able to guard both guard positions and smaller forwards at a high level.

His perimeter shooting is a question mark, as is his ability to consistently create shots for himself off the bounce, but Black should be able to play a variety of roles from the jump.

Howard, who had a June 3 scheduled workout with the Magic, is a high-level shooter who’s effective in shooting off the catch and on pull-ups from beyond the arc.

He’s comfortable shooting off movement, taking pull-up 2s and driving inside the arc for floaters.

“Honestly, I feel like I’ll fit in like a glove with my ability to space the floor and make open shots,” Howard said.

Howard can run pick-and-rolls well within the flow of an offense and is a solid passer/playmaker. He needs to improve in multiple areas defensively, especially when guarding 1-on-1. But he gives effort, and at 6-foot-8, he has the tools to be solid on that end of the floor, too.

“It’s guys who understand where to be: When to move, when to cut, when to make the simple pass — both these guys are able to do that,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of the Magic’s draft picks. “Just making their teammates better. Guys who can just fit in seamlessly to whatever it is we’re doing. With how fast we play, just be able to make quick decisions to help their teammates be better.”

Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.