Although this season has been a tough slog at times for the Orlando Magic, there are also real reasons for optimism. Markelle Fultz recently rejoined the team out West, and his return from an ACL tear is edging ever closer. Rookie Franz Wagner has also been better than advertised, and at this point leads all rookies in points scored so far this season.
These are the moments of respite that are required when you are going through the rough patch that is a rebuild. One that has been in motion in some capacity for almost a decade now. As encouraging as both of these pieces of news are, they aren’t even the best part about being an Orlando Magic fan right now.
The best part about being an Orlando Magic fan is Cole Anthony. Could he actually make the All-Star game this season?
On the surface that would seem a straightforward no. After all, the Orlando Magic are a miserable 5-23, and on any given night it looks hard to see how they will pull out a win.
Former center Nikola Vucevic knows all about toiling away on bad rosters, having only made the All-Star team himself (twice) when the organization as a whole became more competitive.
He had fantastic statistical years and carried the Magic in a way offensively that Cole Anthony isn’t close to emulating yet. So on that basis alone, not to mention the fact Orlando is a small market and Skip Bayless clearly hadn’t watched a game before their tilt against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Anthony getting to the midseason exhibition is a stretch.
But there’s something going on here that deserves consideration. Anthony is now clearly the best player on the roster. He has come to personify what the Magic are trying to be and has put his fingerprints all over the franchise. Every organization needs their guy, and in only his second season, Anthony looks like he could be just that.
His own numbers are impressive enough to warrant consideration. Anthony is averaging 20.5 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting over 37 percent from deep.
To use one comparison, in Kyrie Irving’s third season (he was 21 then, as Anthony is now), Irving was an All-Star while averaging 20.8 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 35.8 percent from three-point range.
Obviously, this is cherry-picking and no two seasons are the same either, but any time you can come close to, and in some areas do more than, a player like Irving, you’re on the right path. Anthony’s numbers alone should put him in the conversation, and that is without talking about his outrageous rebounding numbers given his size.
Rebounding alone isn’t going to get you into the All-Star game, but at 6.1 per contest, Anthony has the kind of numbers here a lot of forwards would like. Right now, Anthony is the 58th best rebounding player in the league, with guys like Dewayne Dedmon (six per game and employed by the Miami Heat for his defense and rebounding) below him in 61st.
The fact that Cole Anthony is third on his own team in this category to only Wendell Carter Jr. (10) and Mohamed Bamba (8.8) is just as impressive. Again, it is hard to get people to care about rebounding when it comes to the All-Star game, but it is that effort and tenacity, combined with the shooting, scoring, and assisting, that should have Anthony in the conversation.
Something else outside of his own control that he has going for him is the fact some familiar faces are out of contention in the Eastern Conference. Kemba Walker is no longer in the rotation with the New York Knicks. Ben Simmons hasn’t played a minute as he tries to force his way out of Philadelphia. Ditto Kyrie Irving, who has contributed nothing to the Brooklyn Nets this season.
Obviously, guys like Lonzo Ball and Trae Young are going to get a lot of love, and more crucially, the fan vote. These are cool and exciting players who play for better teams in bigger markets. But where Anthony could sneak in is through the portion of the votes made up by coaches and other players.
He might not be as good as a Jrue Holiday, but his individual numbers and doing everything short of stubbing fan’s tickets on their way in the door has to count for something.
It might be a year too soon, but the fact we can say with a straight face that Cole Anthony could maybe be an All-Star this season is huge, and should not be lost on Orlando Magic fans.