The Orlando Magic made the right choice in selecting point guard Cole Anthony with the 15th pick in the NBA Draft, adding more potential to a young core.
Despite only having one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic made the most of what was perceived as a weak class by selecting point guard Cole Anthony 15th overall. It was a move that fans on social media immediately reacted warmly to, and which generated some excitement for a franchise that badly needs it.
The Magic got rid of their second-round pick, trading it to the Milwaukee Bucks for two future second-round picks down the road, which was also seen as good business. It was a chance in the future to replenish the roster in the back end of a different crop of youngsters, and hopefully unearth somebody like they did with Wesley Iwundu in recent years.
Returning to Anthony however, and this can only be seen as a triumph for a number of reasons. Beginning with the obvious, and getting younger at the point guard position was clearly a goal for the Magic. D.J. Augustin, who has been a loyal and brilliant player for them, is now 32 and would work well as a backup on a contender.
He could remain in Orlando, and he did a great job of backing Markelle Fultz up after he replaced him as a starter early last year, but the addition of Anthony seems to signal the end of his time with the Magic. This means that a guard rotation of Fultz, Anthony (who you imagine will be a backup to begin with) and Michael Carter-Williams is a nice place to be.
For years the Orlando Magic have focused more on their frontcourt, often to the detriment of the organization. There was a time, and it hurts to even type out, when they were trying to fit Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo, Aaron Gordon, Serge Ibaka and Jeff Green into the same team. All while Elfrid Payton was their floor general.
This continued with the drafting of both Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba, but it is great to see the front office address the backcourt rotation. Carter-Williams has carved a role for himself as an oversized backup who can guard multiple positions. Some combination of himself, Anthony and Terrence Ross off the bench next season gives the Magic some depth.
Bringing in Anthony takes even more pressure off Fultz, not that he was feeling it anyway. He had a great first year with the team and was their second-best player in the playoffs. The Magic front office should be commended for taking Anthony, who was arguably the best player left at 15, and figuring out the fit later.
The Orlando Magic have point guard insurance
If Fultz doesn’t work out, and all signs would indicate that not being the case so far, what an insurance policy Anthony is. It could even mean Fultz is traded down the line, although again we’re getting way ahead of ourselves here. Fultz and Anthony are two guards with two different skill sets who can easily play together, in much the same way Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum do for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Fultz is already an above-average defender, while Anthony figures to come in and score in bunches right away. There is nothing wrong with playing two leads guards like this together, who can split playmaking duties while also appearing to have styles that will blend well together. Another big plus here.
Perhaps most of all though is the excitement Anthony is sure to bring. Magic fans had been lamenting the lack of activity recently around trades and the direction of the franchise, with some late chatter that Gordon and their pick could be packaged to move up in the draft not getting a great response out of fans either.
In the end, Gordon stays, for now, and there is a legitimately exciting prospect going to be wearing the pinstriped blue next season. That is not a knock on Isaac, who will still hopefully be the franchise cornerstone when he returns from his ACL injury at some point in the future. But his game, although dominant defensively already, doesn’t have a ton of flash to it right now either.
We live in a league that is dominated by guards, and if the Orlando Magic have drafted one who will provide plenty of highlights, and hopefully in time wins, then that will sell tickets and jerseys and make the Magic more noticed by national media. Something that is certainly not the case now, but perhaps Anthony’s famous father, and his even more famous friends, can help.
Finally, it adds to a young core and gives the Magic more hope for the future. Yes Isaac is gone for now, and it is unclear if Bamba will ever become anything in the league. But between Fultz, Isaac, Anthony, Iwundu and Chuma Okeke, who is working hard to make an impact this year, there is suddenly something very real in place here.
Add in Gordon, Vuvevic and Evan Fournier as win-now players, and it leaves the franchise in a decent position. Certainly there is no problem sticking with what they have for now to see what it can become, but it gives them more assets for trades as well. Cole Anthony, a great draft selection by the Orlando Magic.