Summer League Notebook: Magic may have their point guard in Anthony Black

LAS VEGAS — It's the last of my Summer League notebooks before I get out of town, covering some of what I saw in another successful Summer League for the NBA.

• Anthony Black just knows how to run a game. The thing on the top of the scouting report with him was size for a point guard — 6'6" — but in the chaotic setting that can be a Summer League game, Black did a great job getting his team organized, getting teammates in the correct position and trying to develop a flow to the offense. He was making the right read and pass, and looks like a leader.

"Really calm and poised," Orlando Summer League coach Dylan Murphy said. "I think he doesn't get rattled easily, really easy to play with, the guys love playing with him. Just a great way about him. I think that's gonna serve him well for a long time in this league.”

Back also showed off the defense that will get him on the court this season in Orlando. He has fantastic size and quickness and made some plays on that end, not letting Bennedict Mathurin get downhill.

Black's shooting remains the concern — 3-of-12 on Monday from the floor — but if he can work on his shot and make it respectable he could be running the system for the Magic for a long time.

• Andrew Nembhard was finding space and knocking down shots — 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting — looking more comfortable than last season. It's a good sign.

• Jarace Walker looks like an NBA player. Actually, the Pacers' lottery pick looks like a linebacker as much as an NBA forward, but watching him, he appears ready for minutes in Rick Carlisle's frontcourt rotation behind Obi Toppin.

Walker is pretty much what was expected from the scouting reports — big, strong, made some athletic and disruptive defensive plays, can run the floor — but he showed more than that Monday, both scoring (16 points) and showing off some playmaking skills. He brought the ball up and had the offense go through him at points.

"The guy is very versatile," Pacers coach Jannero Pargo said. "He can handle the ball and make plays offensively. So we kind of put the ball in his hands sometimes and he makes great plays."
Walker's shot is inconsistent (17 shots to get his 16 points) but he has been one of the more impressive players out of this draft class so far.

• We said it before but it bears repeating: Keynote George is a bucket. The Utah rookie followed up his 33-point debut in Las Vegas with 26 on Monday — 59 points through two games. The wide-open Summer League style of play fits him, but give the man credit for taking advantage. It has to have Jazz fans excited.

• The Cavaliers took a second-round flier on Emoni Bates, the guy five years back we thought would be the Wembanyama of this class. Against the Grizzlies Monday he had 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting with a couple of blocks.

The Cavaliers have the depth not to rush Bates along, not put pressure on him, which should be a good thing. Bates is a guy to watch over the next couple of years to see how he develops.