Cole Anthony is another hit-or-miss point guard in this draft class. He had solid games early on where he hit every shot and played out of his mind. Other times, the dude couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean. Anthony’s game is all over the place and I’m not sure what to do with him. Will that hold teams from jumping on him with a lottery pick?
Strengths: Handles, Athleticism
Anthony has handles for days. I won’t lie, it is impressive and entertaining to watch this dude take a defender one-on-one. His speed tied with his handles allows Anthony to blow by defenders, and his ability to change speeds keeps the defender guessing. For 6’3, Anthony is really athletic. His aggressiveness in driving to the basket can pay off in big ways. All of these attributes tie up what a team would want from a score-first minded players. Sometimes you need a player like that on your team. Anthony is that kind of guy.
Weaknesses: Consistency, Playmaking
As previously stated, Anthony is more of a scorer than a true point guard. And again, there’s nothing really wrong with that if he gets into a system that can make it work. But even then, I would still like my point guard to average more than 4 assists a game. Anthony is also streaky and inconsistent. He shot 38% from the field and 34% from 3. That’s not great and it’s a huge concern. I am fine with someone being a score-first point guard, but they have to actually score and do it consistently. Those are bad habits to break, but he’s going to have to if he wants to make his mark on the league.
I honestly don’t know what to do with Cole Anthony. He is an explosive player who could turn into a star with time, but that is the key to all of this: time. Anthony will need time to grow into an NBA point guard. I fear that a team will jump the gun on Anthony early, thrust him into the starting rotation on a bad squad where he will never truly get to grow. I could be wrong, but my gut tells me how we rate Anthony as a success or bust depends on who and where he lands in the draft.
