Anthony Black Out Again as Right Ankle Lingers Into Magic's Regular Season
Anthony Black has not played a minute of the 2026-27 season. The Magic guard has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Hawks with a right ankle issue, with an estimated return of October 23. He averaged 15.0 points in 64 games last season.
By the Magic Nightly Desk · updated 20 h ago01The story of the nightThe Ankle Problem Will Not Go AwayBlack's right ankle has been an issue since the end of September.
Black's right ankle has been an issue since the end of September. He first showed up as day-to-day with an ankle injury on September 30. He stayed day-to-day on October 11, then was downgraded to out on October 20. The latest word is that he has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Hawks, per Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com. The estimated return date is October 23. That is a short window, but this has already dragged on for three weeks, so nothing is certain until he is back on the floor. For now the Magic are planning around his absence, and the backcourt rotation will keep running without its 6-7 guard until the ankle is cleared.
02Zero Minutes So Far This SeasonThe box scores tell the story.
The box scores tell the story. Black has logged 0.0 minutes in each of Orlando's last four games. He did not play in the win over Miami on October 16, the win over Cleveland on October 13, the loss to Cleveland on October 11 or the win over Memphis on October 7. His last real action came in the first-round series against Detroit last spring. He played 32.6 minutes in the May 3 loss, scoring 11 points with 5 rebounds. Two days earlier he had 8 points and 3 rebounds in 33.5 minutes. The high point of that series was April 29, when he went for 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 39.1 minutes, though the Magic lost that one too.
03What He Gave Orlando Last SeasonBlack played 64 games for Orlando last season at 29.8 minutes a night.
Black played 64 games for Orlando last season at 29.8 minutes a night. He averaged 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists, with 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks. He turned it over 2.1 times per game on a 21.9 usage rate. The shooting line was 44.7 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 73.2 percent from the line, which worked out to a 54.9 true shooting percentage. His plus-minus for the season was -0.2. Those are the numbers of a third-year guard carrying a real share of the offense. At 6-7 and 212 pounds, the size at the guard spot is part of what makes him useful on both ends, and the steal rate backs that up.
04His Name Keeps Showing Up in the Rumor MillBlack has been a steady presence in league reporting this month.
Black has been a steady presence in league reporting this month. Marc Stein's latest notes on October 19 led with Black among a group that also included Kolek, Nance, Lundy, Cisse and Zion. On October 13 a piece on six under-the-radar veteran extension candidates circulated around the league. Earlier, on October 3, a Magic notes roundup covered Black alongside Penda, Sweeney, Da Silva and Richardson. None of this is confirmed as anything more than chatter. Black is 22 and entering his third season out of Arkansas, so the timing of any contract talk is natural. Treat all of it as reported, not done.
05The Detroit Series Was a Rough FinishLast season ended against Detroit, and Black's production swung game to game.
Last season ended against Detroit, and Black's production swung game to game. He opened the series on April 22 with 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 24.0 minutes in a loss. The Magic won on April 25 with Black scoring 8 points in 25.9 minutes, then won again April 27 despite Black scoring just 2 points in 18.1 minutes with a -19.0 plus-minus. He then put up 19 on April 29, 8 on May 1 and 11 on May 3, but Orlando dropped all three. His plus-minus in those final three games was -4.0, -12.0 and -11.0. The minutes were there. The results were not. This season was supposed to be the next step, and the ankle has delayed it.
Black15.0 ppg
Dosunmu14.8 ppg
