Cole Anthony is the Orlando Magic’s spark in every way

Cole Anthony took Friday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors hard. The ball was in his hands with the game on the line, a place he has relished and welcomed in his early NBA career, and Gary Trent Jr. knocked it away from him, forcing him into a hurried half-court heave to try to salvage the win.

He tweeted after the game: “Gotta be better, let my team down tonight.”

He shared a similar sentiment after Saturday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons. Despite an efficient performance and another big scoring binge, much of it coming late as he tried desperately to keep the Magic in the game, he posted for the world to see: “Gotta do more, played lazy.”

Anthony is always gregarious nonetheless and always going to bat for his guys. He leaves those hard criticisms for himself with the right mix of bravado and determination to be better the next time.

Anthony has scored more points in his young career. He has taken bigger shots.

But nothing he has done to this point in his career likely looked or felt as impressive to his response to these, in his mind, poor games and poor moments.

Cole Anthony turned in an incredible performance to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves, continuing a strong run to star this second season.

With the Magic on the ropes and staring down a five-game losing streak, Anthony got cooking. He drained a pair of 3-pointers early and commanded the rhythm of the game. Orlando’s energy picked up and the team’s resiliency finally resulted in that most elusive thing: A win.

Anthony was in complete command, scoring 14 of his 31 points and making four of his six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The team, just like it was in the win over the New York Knicks, followed Anthony’s lead and suddenly they too had the same confidence Anthony plays with.

Orlando got what it needed most — a spirited and surprisingly comfortable 115-97 victory. And Anthony was the driving force for so much of it.

"“We’ve kind of been there in the fourth quarter and that’s when the other team takes their stride,” Anthony said after Monday’s win. “Tonight we did a good job building that lead in the fourth quarter and then not letting them get back in the game and but instead extending our lead and going to get that dub.”"

Things were a bit bigger than that.

Orlando entered the fourth quarter trailing by six points. Anthony quickly helped the team erase that deficit, scoring or assisting on nine of the team’s first 11 points, flipping the deficit into a four-point lead. That included a pass to find Chuma Okeke for a three and hitting two 3-pointers of his own.

Anthony finished the game with 31 points on 8-for-17 shooting and 6-for-11 shooting from deep. Lest you think he was merely just shooting as his main contribution, he also added nine rebounds and eight assists, flirting once again with a triple-double.

The ball was in his hands as he played the entire fourth quarter and he directed the team on offense. He was really the one in control and feeding the team’s energy.

Orlando did not come back and win solely on Anthony’s offensive strength. Just as it was with the win over the New York Knicks, the defense fed the team’s success and energy. Orlando got down and defended, locking down the glass with Anthony very much in the middle. The Magic are still going to go as far as their defense can take them.

"“We set the tone for how we have to continue to play, especially in that third and fourth quarters was very solid defensively,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday’s win. “We shared the ball. Guys got hot but that’s a product of when you feel the ball is going to come back to you when you’re open.”"

Still, someone had to make the shots and make the plays. And that has consistently been Anthony this season.

Early this season, Anthony has been the maestro for the team. The Magic’s level of play drops off significantly when he steps out. And for the first time, he looks comfortable. So comfortable that he goes off for massive scoring binges.

A confidence Anthony is a given in a postgame interview and on the court. But a confident and poised Anthony is proving to be a dangerous mix.

That 31-point, 9-rebound, 8-assist stat line was not his first gaudy line he has put up.

He scored 29 points on 9-for-16 shooting and five 3-pointers with 16 rebounds and eight assists in the win over the Knicks. He had 24 points, five rebounds and six assists in the loss to the Charlotte Hornets and another 24 points, five rebounds and five assists in the loss to the Toronto Raptors.

After getting his legs under him from the start of the season, Anthony has become the scorer everyone envisioned in high school.

He sets his shot up really well with an array of step-backs and quick pivots. It gives the Magic a bit of confidence — the confidence of someone who says he believes every shot is going in and views that mindset as essential.

For a team lacking someone who is both a knock-down shooter and able to break players off the dribble, this kind of presence certainly helps. But it is still more about the pace and tone Anthony seems to set from the point guard position.

The Magic are just better with Anthony on the floor. And when he has the glint in his eye to take over, the Magic function at a decent level.

Cole Anthony leads the team among rotation players (we are excluding Mychal Mulder) with an on-court net rating of 5.6 points per 100 possessions (114.8 offensive rating and 109.2 defensive rating). That offensive rating is the best on the team (again excluding Mulder).

The Magic have a team-worst -37.6 net rating with Anthony off the floor.

Even his shooting percentages have looked better. He is making 44.8-percent of his shots and 44.6-percent from deep, He is hitting 52.4-percent of his pull-up 3-pointers too, showing his skill as a ball-dominant guard (Cole Anthony trails only Jalen Suggs in usage rate with a 23.7-percent rate, not at all ball-dominant).

He has looked very much like a veteran with how much he is commanding the court and the offense. Things just seem easier.

Indeed, throughout the season, Mosley has praised Anthony’s improved decision-making.

"“Down the stretch we talked about making the right plays,” Mosley said after Monday’s win. “Jalen and Cole come over with Franz and they are just talking about this set works for us. This is what we should stay in. Because then it simplifies the game for them. Allowed them to make the simple, right reads. We talk about guys with high basketball IQ making the right play. Those guys did that tonight.”"

All of that finally came together to make for a win in Monday’s game.

Like Franz Wagner put the league on notice with his outburst, Cole Anthony is also putting the league on notice too. But as the point guard, he has a lot more control over how the team is playing.

And the Magic are following his lead. Anthony is blossoming and taking this leadership role seriously. He knows Orlando goes as he goes.

That is a lot of pressure to put on himself. But he is rising to the occasion.