NBA Draft Prospect Profiles: Anthony Black, Arkansas

We continue our profiling of the projected lottery picks in this year’s NBA Draft with Arkansas freshman standout Anthony Black. The former Razorback provides versatility, upside, and backcourt size matched by very few in this year’s class. With the draft just days away, we dissect his game and get you up to speed on his scouting report.

Career with Arkansas

Black did a little bit of everything for the Razorbacks in 2022-23. After a slow start to the season, he burst onto the scene with back-to-back 26-point performances against Louisville and Creighton. The Texas native finished the season with 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game across 36 starts. He concluded the season with an impressive 20-point outing against UConn, where he also notched five steals.

Strengths

Black is an all-around stud. He can easily score, rebound, and dish it to his teammates against any opponent. He has guard-like mobility and fluidity to his game at 6’7", helping him finish at the rim and compete on the glass. The freshman shows great tempo off the bounce, knowing when to speed things up or slow it down off the pick-and-roll before finding an open teammate or calling his number. He also possesses a great motor, averaging the most playing time on Arkansas last season at 34.9 minutes per game.

Weaknesses

Although Black boasts excellent length and size at his position, his speed or athleticism isn’t overwhelming. He’s efficient at getting to his spots and working into the lane but struggles to get around defenders and beat anyone in foot races. He also struggles with turning the ball over at a high rate, averaging 3.0 giveaways per game while only dishing out 3.9 assists per outing. That ratio must improve if he wants to become a starting guard at the next level.

Overall NBA Projection

Black is so versatile and raw that it makes him an incredibly intriguing player for almost any team in the league to take a chance on. He’s got all the skills and intangibles to develop properly in the NBA. If he can become a more consistent perimeter threat while cleaning up the turnovers, he could make the teams who passed him up feel pretty dumb in a few years.

Projected Pick: Lottery

Player Comparison: Josh Giddey