It’s no secret that the Washington Wizards are in desperate need of a point guard. They currently have Kyle Kuzma and Bradley Beal running the offense, not necessarily a recipe for success. however, the incredibly deep 2023 NBA Draft may be their saving grace.
Anthony Black from Arkansas has been easily one of the best point guards in the NCAA this season. He has been projected to go in the lottery pretty much since the season began and has only moved up through the season.
While he may not be a Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson. He’s not even a Brandon Miller. However, he is an incredibly intelligent point guard who makes the right play and will lock down any player on the defensive end.
What can Anthony Black do to help the Washington Wizards?
Anthony Black is capable of scoring, even if not at the level of other potential draft prospects. He is one of the few lead guard prospects who have already shown a strong ability to play off the ball and be a threat while another player has the ball. This is incredibly important to play for the Wizards, but we’ll get to that later.
He is a traditional point guard at heart but still stands out due to being the size of a small forward. This allows him to see over defenses while also being an elite defender, two areas that he absolutely takes advantage of.
He is an elite and willing playmaker who can find his teammates with ease and makes it look easy. Black is one of the key reasons that the Razorbacks star studded roster has worked so well.
On top of his sneaky scoring abilities and elite playmaking, Black is also an aggressive defender averaging two steals per game at the college level. His size allows him to clamp up smaller guards and even reach up for an occasional block as well. The defensive instincts and effort shown has definitely been something that has impressed scouts.
How would Anthony Black fit with the Washington Wizards?
Some of the biggest weaknesses in this years rendition of the Wizards offense has been their lack of point guard, inability to create fast break opportunities, and not finding open shooters. Anthony Black fits all of those areas perfectly.
On top of his perfect fit for the weaknesses displayed by the Wizards this season, he can play off the ball as previously noted. This is important due to the presence of Bradley Beal. While he may play better off the catch, Beal has proven that he deserves his opportunity to handle the rock at least a few times per game. This makes Black’s ability to play off the ball an important skill for a potential Wizard.
To put the icing on the cake, Black could be the missing piece in defense as well. The Wizards’ perimeter defense outside of Delon Wright, Jordan Goodwin, and Deni Avdija, three of the premier perimeter defenders in the league, has been awful. Adding an elite and scrappy defender like Black could not only drastically increase their defensive performance, but the turnovers he forces would also lead to more fast break opportunities and more easy looks.
The match between the Washington Wizards and Anthony Black is a perfect match and if he is available with a mid to late lottery pick, they should absolutely select the Arkansas guard.