2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Blazers and Bulls find new life
G, Arkansas. New Orleans Pelicans. Anthony Black. 10. player. 69.
Anthony Black is next in the increasingly long line of big, connective-tissue guards who are bound to infatuate NBA decision-makers. Two easy points of comparison are Lonzo Ball, former Pelican, and Dyson Daniels, current Pelican. New Orleans, currently saddled with a superstar creator (Zion Williamson) and two other All-Star playmakers in Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, needs players who can impact winning without dominating possessions.
Black has shown the ability to thrive in just about any role. He’s not going to prodigiously create his own points, but he’s a competent shooter and slasher who can make every pass in the book. He’s comfortable operating out of pick-and-rolls, he’s great at kickstarting transition opportunities, and his 5G processing speed is bound to grease the wheels for whichever offense he joins.
At 6-foot-7, Black is going to inhale rebounds better than most “guards” and he should be able to guard several positions based on need. Not many players in the draft think the game as well as Black, which should instantly endear him to lottery teams ready to contend.
It’s hard to have too many players like Black. The Pelicans have no shortage of talent in the backcourt, but it shouldn’t be hard to find minutes for the 19-year-old interspersed between and alongside the likes of Ingram, McCollum, and Daniels.