Cole Anthony was one of the top incoming freshman, but unfortunately due to poor team performance and injuries, he was severely limited. For the year, Anthony averaged 18.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG, and 3.5 TOPG on shooting splits of 38/35/75. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Cole Anthony
Height/Weight: 6’3/ 190
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: G
College: North Carolina
Tools: Shot creation, drawing fouls, athleticism
Pros:
- Sound shooting stroke
- Comfortable with either hand
- Excellent at drawing fouls
- Phenomenal athlete with great body control
- Elite rebounder for a guard
- Good vision
- Good at getting teammates rhythm shots
Cons:
- Frequently gets beat off the dribble
- Hesitant to get teammates involved at times
- Mild frame
- Poor P&R defender/struggles to fight through screens
- Needs to become a more consistent shooter
Overall:
Cole Anthony is an electric scoring combo-guard with a good jump shot, high-level athleticism, and a knack for drawing fouls. Despite being a score-first guard, Anthony is capable of running the offense in spurts, due to his plus vision and ability to find open teammates at high-percentage spots on the court. Despite a mild assists total and average, Anthony’s underwhelming surrounding talent did him no favors as a playmaker. Anthony has a strong handle that he uses to bait defenders into attacking him, but Anthony’s ability to dribble out of trouble can often put defenders in jail, leading to open looks for teammates. While Anthony doesn’t frequently make advanced reads, he makes the right play with ease, and rarely makes head-scratching decisions.
Anthony’s jump shot should translate, as he can both shoot off the dribble and from a standstill. Ranking in the 74th percentile as a spot up shooter, Anthony’s versatile shooting ability should make him a simple fit into most offenses that already have a lead ball handler. Anthony was forced to take an excess amount of shots off the dribble at North Carolina due to his role as the only bucket-getter on the team. Anthony showed a great ability to beat his man one-on-one and consistently keep his defender guessing what his next move would be, and his quick ability to shoot off the dribble made him a hard assignment. With a combination of a quick shot, dynamic ball-handling, and a strong first step, Anthony’s scoring profile is that of a prototypical volume scorer. Despite shooting only 54% at the rim this year, Anthony’s best finishing, and overall offense, came in quick offense from when he pushed the tempo. Anthony has an elite “10 seconds or less” offensive game, which is a big part of why I believe his scoring to translate immediately.
The liability that teams fear with Cole Anthony is his defensive shortcomings. With short arms and a raw frame, Anthony has an uphill battle on the defensive end. Quick first steps usually forced him out of the play immediately, along with the pick & roll. With his lack of strength and poor recovery ability, Anthony was easily removed from the play in pick & roll defenses. This can be the easiest way to cause a player to be a negative in the league. While Anthony is an intelligent player, his physical shortcomings may severely hurt his impact in his early years.
In order for Anthony to be an effective rotation player, he will have to be surrounded by a roster that makes up for his defensive shortcomings, along with having shooters spaced along the perimeter. Another area that is likely causing his fall in the draft is a potential flag on his intangibles, per sources. A negative perception of his intangibles combined with him coming off of a meniscus injury in the season may make teams hesitant to take a chance on Anthony.
Anthony is one of the best isolation players and pure scorers in the draft, being able to play both guard spots offensively, and being able to play both on-ball and off-ball. If his game translates as smoothly as expected, he is worth a top 10 pick.
NBA Comparison: Floor: Collin Sexton; Ceiling: Monta Ellis/Zach LaVine
Projected draft range: 5-27
Best fits:
- Orlando Magic
- Detroit Pistons
- New York Knicks
- Washington Wizards
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
Shot chart:
