The Orlando Magic are sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 5-23 record.
The combination of losing and injuries has mostly made this season one to forget to this point. It was always going to be that way in the first year of a rebuild. The Magic have made it clear the season will not be judged on the team’s record and they are looking for little victories and signs of progress.
In that sense, there have been a few bright spots. And there has been no brighter light than Cole Anthony.
Cole Anthony has been the brightest spot of a difficult season for the Orlando Magic. The second-year guard has put up All-Star numbers and is making a clear case to make the trip to Cleveland.
Anthony has taken a leap this season that few could have predicted.
The majority of people had Cole Anthony pegged as being the sixth man behind Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs. He had a solid but not spectacular rookie season that finished with a flourish after the trade deadline.
Slow starts in Summer League and the preseason did not generate a ton of optimism.
Orlando drafted him with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 Draft knowing he was a scorer first. It was growing the other parts of his game that was seemingly the struggle.
Anthony has rewritten his narrative and has become the brightest spot of a tough start to the season.
He was one of the top high school prospects in his class just three years ago. And injuries slowed his lone season at North Carolina, like his rookie season in Orlando. It was not unreasonable to think Anthony could not reclaim that seemingly lost potential.
Anthony thus far deserves to be in the race to become a first-time all-star.
Not only has Anthony been playing well for his standards, but Anthony also measures up with some of the best guards that the Eastern Conference has to offer.
Anthony is averaging 20.5 points per game which is ninth in the Eastern Conference among guards. He has also averaged 5.6 assists (13th) and 6.1 rebounds per game (fourth), he also ranks seventh in PER at 17.3.
On top of this, Anthony is scoring efficiently. He is posting a 51.2-percent effective field goal percentage. That mark is seventh among guards who have played at least 25 minutes per game with a usage rate of at least 25-percent.
His true shooting percentage sits at 55.8-percent, also seventh among that same subset of players.
Anthony has been scoring at a consistent clip and doing so with surprising efficiency. All from a second-year player who is still finding his way around the league.
Anthony’s impact can be measured in other areas too.
With Orlando struggling offensively, it is impressive to see his positive impact on that end of the floor. According to Basketball-Reference, Anthony is posting a +2.3 offensive box plus-minus (an improvement from his -2.0 rating by that metric last year).
The Magic simply struggle to function when Anthony is not on the floor.
Orlando has a -2.3 net rating with Anthony on the floor, the best mark on the team. The team has a 108.7 offensive rating (more than six points per 100 possessions better than the team’s average) and a 111.0 defensive rating with Anthony on the floor.
Off the floor, the Magic’s net rating drops to a team-worst -19.4 points per 100 possessions. The team has a 93.0 offensive rating when Anthony is off the floor. It is one of the largest splits in the league.
Anthony and his team are certainly not without their faults. Orlando still has a negative net rating when Anthony is on the floor. But the team is at least more competitive when he plays compared to when he is off the floor. It would not take much for the Magic to turn things around.
And Anthony’s impact is pretty clear in that sense. He is a willing and focused scorer who does so with efficiency.
Normally at least four guards out of each conference will get All-Star nods. A number of factors go into it — including the player’s team’s records.
There is an argument for Anthony compared to his peers.
Only Trae Young and James Harden are higher in significantly more statistical categories compared to Cole Anthony. Both Young and Harden are likely going to be voted as the starting backcourt in the Eastern Conference, considering fan voting and the impact of winning each player has on their respective teams.
The coaches will then likely give Zach LaVine the nod to the second-seeded Chicago Bulls. They well could have multiple All-Stars this year with the way DeMar DeRozan has played this year.
Then that leaves one more likely spot. There are players in the pool with Cole Anthony in LaMelo Ball and Malcolm Brogdon.
The list of stats is completely mixed in terms of who is ahead of whom.
The race is close, and neither of the three players has played on the strongest teams. Neither of their respective teams sits above the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
While the Magic have fallen to the bottom of the conference, there is context with the many injuries the Magic have faced.
Orlando ranks first in missed games due to injury with 139 games. There can be an argument stating that Anthony has performed up to par with the other two players despite current standings.
There will surely be other players in the mix too such as the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown. But he has missed a significant part of the season with various injuries. It will be an interesting race for sure.
But the case for Anthony is there.
Anthony consistently puts on a show every night and has put performances on in the clutch that can not be ignored. Most recently, in a 108-103 win over the Denver Nuggets, Anthony finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
Overall, in the clutch, the final five minutes of any game where the score differential of five points or less, Anthony averages 3.7 points per game. That ranks 10th in the NBA and first among the Eastern Conference guards.
Anthony also continues to be steady in the clutch, rarely turning the ball over, only averaging 0.1 turnovers per game. In those games, the Magic have a 4-5 record.
Considering Orlando’s overall record, Anthony has been good in the clutch.
That sounds like an All-Star for sure. All the numbers are there. The only thing that is missing is the notoriety and the team’s record to get him to Cleveland in February. And maybe some fan support when voting opens up no Christmas.
In the end, it is not going to be easy for Anthony to get to the All-Star Game. The Magic sitting at the bottom of the standings and keeping such a low profile will make it difficult for him to get on the roster.
But it is wrong to ignore the great season Anthony is having.
Whether or not Anthony gets to the game, this is going to be an important stretch for Anthony to build off of as the team begins to get healthy. When it comes to it, the coaches will decide if Anthony deserves the selection, and regardless of the result, Anthony already has the All-Star attitude.
At the very least, Anthony has made good on his All-Rookie Team snub and he will be in Cleveland to participate in the league’s Rookie-Sophomore Game.