Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony is making a huge leap this season
By Luke Duffy
Cole Anthony is having a great season for the Orlando Magic
Averages of 17.7 points and 7.4 assists are getting close to the kinds of numbers All-Star-level players put up. Of course, doing this over the course of a season, or even a few months, is the next step. Beyond that, actually contributing to a winning franchise is the final step, but for where Anthony is at in his development right now, this is extremely promising.
It’s even more promising when you consider rookie Jalen Suggs is having the kind of inconsistent start to his professional career that essentially every young player has. Last week’s matchup with Scottie Barnes was an unwelcome distraction too, not that either Suggs or Barnes allowed themselves to get caught up in all the talk.
Points and assists are one positive indicator of Anthony’s improvement, and another is most certainly his three-point shooting. He has started the year shooting a red hot 42.2% from deep on a considerable 6.4 attempts per night. You could argue that number will fall, and you’d probably be right.
However, Anthony is doing this while shooting nearly double the number of long-range bombs from a year ago (3.7), and playing with almost a full complement of players. If anything, it is more impressive that he has managed to do this without the help of Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, and Chuma Okeke – three players who can stretch the floor for Anthony when out there.