Orlando Magic: 3 goals for the 2020-21 season
By Luke Duffy
2. Give Cole Anthony plenty of run
You might think that Anthony should be included in the previous point, but he is a slide unto himself because he has the opportunity to be a franchise savior if the situation breaks kindly for him. The Magic have not had a player who generates the kind of excitement that Anthony does with his game since Dwight Howard. That is saying a lot.
A guy with that kind of buzz probably wasn’t expecting to fall to the Magic with the 15th pick in last month’s draft, but it is a situation that could work out so well for both. The organization needs not only a pure scorer, but a guy who can generate excitement and sell tickets and jerseys.
That might be a lot of pressure to put on Anthony, but the reality is there is a nice system already in place, so he won’t have to do it all. It will be fascinating to see if he shares the court with Fultz, and if so how that will look. Initially he is likely to back him up, but if the play of Anthony is so good that it can’t be ignored, then they would make an ideal backcourt pairing.
This will be the major development for the roster of the course of the season. The possibility of the defensive play of Fultz and the scoring of Anthony combining beautifully. Add in Isaac the following year, and the Magic could really be onto something. Even if that is the best case scenario, Anthony should still see plenty of the ball.
D.J. Augustin is gone, so running the second unit would be a great first goal for Anthony. Coming off the bench alongside Bacon and Terrence Ross, there could be a real scoring punch there that will have opponents struggling to keep up. There are going to be mistakes, bad shot selections and silly turnovers. All of this is necessary, should be welcomed even, as Anthony finds his feet. He could repay them by being the steal of the draft.