Orlando Magic’s 5 best options to hit the game-winner
Orlando Magic’s best options to close
Cole Anthony
Nobody had the opening statement to their clutch career quite like Cole Anthony.
Anthony may have been an inefficient shooter — 39.7-percent shooting, 33.7-percent from deep — but when the game was on the line, Anthony was never afraid. He was going to shoot and he was going to be able to hit that shot at the end.
The game-winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves was a shot of circumstance. Anthony was in the right place at the right time. But it was still a bit moment for him and for the team. it was one of the most memorable games of the season.
Still, Anthony stepped up in plenty more moments.
He keyed the comeback win over the Memphis Grizzlies, capping it off with a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win. Unlike the Minnesota game-winner, this was all him. He set up the shot and took it. This was his moment.
More than any other play, that shot over Memphis displayed Anthony’s overall potential.
The fact that later in the week, he doubled down on the success with a critical shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers only added to the excitement.
Related Story. Jamahl Mosley lays out his goals for the Orlando Magic. light
With Orlando up two after losing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter, Cole Anthony drove into Jarrett Allen’s chest and finished a tough driving layup to put the game away for good. It was not a buzzer-beater, but that shot was just as critical to a win.
There are certainly still concerns about how well Anthony can manage a team. And he projects, for now, as coming off the bench for the team. But his clutch credentials are well established.
Anthony scored 28 points in 34 clutch minutes, defined as any moment where the score is within five points in the final five minutes. He made 8 of 13 shots in those minutes and four of his six 3-pointers. More impressively too, he made eight of nine free throws in those minutes.
The only bad mark is his three turnovers in 34 minutes.
But those are really strong clutch minutes and stats when efficiency usually goes down. Anthony is a player who stepped up in the biggest moments.
And if Anthony is in the game late, he is someone the team should have every faith taking the last shot.