Cole Anthony and the crunch time slowdown

It takes a lot of confidence to be a closer. It is not for everyone to have the pressure of a game put on their shoulders. When a team find someone who relishes that spotlight, it feels like something a team should hold onto.

Cole Anthony has already made a name for himself as a late-game scorer. His game-winning exploits as a rookie against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies are already the stuff of legends.

Then came his late-game heroics this year. Big shots in wins over the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks have only added to his late-game legend.

The Magic had a lot of things they worried about early in the season, but there was rightfully the confidence that if they got into a late-game situation, Anthony would deliver.

Cole Anthony was one of the few sure things for the Orlando Magic. If they get to the game late, he would deliver. But like the rest of his game, his late-game heroics are slumping a bit lately.

Early talks of Anthony making the All-Star Game came because of his solid scoring numbers and high-usage efficiency, but also because he consistently delivered with the game on the line. Not to mention the seemingly larger-than-life personality that let everyone know about it (while still being all about his teammates everywhere else).

There is no reason that faith should dissipate. Anthony still has the bravado and confidence necessary to be a late-game closer. And any player who gets turned to in the clutch will have their moments of failure just as much as their moments of success.

That is the reality of close games.

The Magic are playing more close games right now than they have at any point in the season. But, just like the general slowdown in Anthony’s production and play of late, his clutch play has also suffered.

And that has likely prevented the Magic from picking up a few wins through this recent spurt of strong play.

Anthony is currently 16th in the league in clutch scoring with 3.2 points per game in clutch situations (shooting 50.0-percent overall) and he is eighth in fourth-quarter scoring with 6.5 points per game and 50.0-percent shooting overall.

All of those numbers suggest Anthony is a player who steps up late in games and rises to the occasion. The Magic do not need the stats to confirm what the eye test has generally told them about Anthony’s young career.

But in January, Anthony is scoring only 5.0 points per game in the fourth quarter, but he is making only 37.9-percent of his field goals. He is scoring 2.0 points per game in clutch situations and shooting 30.0-percent from the field.

That kind of a downturn from the Magic’s main creator is as much a reason for the team struggling to finish these games despite being in more close games than ever before. When margins are narrow, any downturn from the mean can have huge effects.

Orlando has been in games but the team has seemingly gotten tight and has struggled to execute with the clock ticking down.

Anthony is almost certainly still shaking off the rust and the struggles that come from playing on a couple of sprained ankles.

The numbers support that too.

Overall in January, Anthony is averaging 15.0 points per game but shooting only 32.4-percent from the floor overall and 27.1-percent from deep. He is still averaging 14.6 field goal attempts per game, the most on the team, but not by a wide margin.

He has struggled to shoot but has continued to expand his playmaking to make up for it.

But Orlando certainly does not want to take away from the confidence Anthony has  — that is what made his early-season run so enticing. That is part of who Anthony is. And that has likely not gone away with the way Anthony is playing as he seeks ways to help his team.

But the Magic may not turn back toward winning until Anthony finds his rhythm again.

The team’s offense relies heavily on Anthony right now. And his struggles and downturn as he plays through his injuries right now are a big reason why the Magic have by far the worst offense in the league in the month of January.

This too is part of the way Anthony’s game will continue to grow and expand. He is still learning the finer points of manning the point for this young Magic team.

Anthony still has to work to expand his game and find the right moments to attack and look to score. Especially with defenses knowing what a threat he is late in games.

Part of his growth this season is the added attention he has gotten from defenses who know he can be a dangerous attacker.

The Magic still have some work to do to add to this roster and put themselves in a better position to win games.

Some health and added depth will help — Markelle Fultz’s impending return will pinch some minutes at point guard but will undoubtedly help the team compete better. The continued improvement of rookies Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner — the latter going through a bit of a rookie wall as defenses adjust to him.

Wendell Carter’s return will help the team in major ways too. He is a smart player and a good fulcrum for the team to operate. The Magic have missed him as much as anybody.

The Magic are playing with men down still and the team needs everything in place to find consistent success.

As long as he is in the game with the game on the line, the ball will be in Anthony’s hands. Even in his young career, he has enough big moments for the team to trust him with it. And he has the attitude and confidence to deliver.

Right now, Orlando is waiting for him to come back around.