Magic's Anthony Black & Jett Howard Reveal Goals For Summer League

ORLANDO — One year ago, the Summer League provided an opportunity for Anthony Black and Jett Howard to get acclimated to the NBA ahead of their rookie seasons.

Now, the NBA 2K25 Summer League will provide an opportunity for the 2023 first-round picks to improve on their first seasons and fine-tune their games ahead of their second seasons in the NBA. For Black, being more assertive and in control of offense are among the things he's hoping to improve on in Las Vegas.

"Some more aggression", Black said on Monday. "Getting to the paint, making plays and then on the other side of the ball, continuing to take pride in defense and just doing small stuff to help the team."

Black appeared in 69 games and started 33 for the Magic. Orlando was 19-14 in the games Black was in the starting five.

Along with being more aggressive, the 6-foot-7 guard noted he could have the ball in his hands more at the point guard position in the NBA 2K25 Summer League. With that comes more control of the offense, which is something Black is also looking to improve on.

"That's your sole responsibility," Black said. "You have the ball in your hands. It's your job to command the floor and get everybody in the right position. So [I'm] definitely taking this time to work on that and keep sharpening that too."

Howard spent most of his season with Orlando's G-League affiliate, the Osceola Magic. While Howard's shooting prowess was on display after he averaged nearly 19 points per game, improving his defense was a point of emphasis. The first-round pick averaged just under a block and steal per game for Osceola.

As the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter enters his second summer league, continuing to improve on defense is among his top priorities in Las Vegas.

"Learning that and getting better at that," Howard said. "I feel like I'm pretty good at that now. Getting all the concepts down and learning how the NBA game is played jumping from college."

Orlando kicks off its summer league slate on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 4 p.m. ET at the Pavilion in Las Vegas.

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