Cole Anthony must show he is the point guard for the Orlando Magic’s future

It is November 7. Cole Anthony has just scored 33 points in a 107-100 victory for the Orlando Magic over the high-flying Utah Jazz and the young point guard is garnering legitimate talk of a possible All-Star appearance based on some incredible early season performances.

Much of the discourse around the Orlando Magic has been on the team’s need for a star player to build around. And Anthony is showing all the signs he could well be that player.

But fast forward to the present day and things have not been quite so smooth for the second-year guard from North Carolina.

After seeming to grab his potential back from a disappointing season in college and from knee injuries that slowed him down, the league has seemingly caught up. Ankle injuries have slowed the dynamic guard down and his efficiency has plummeted.

Anthony went from looking like the sure star who was the No. 3 player in the 2019 recruiting class back to being the uncertain, undersized scoring guard that slipped to No. 15 in the 2020 NBA Draft.

With Markelle Fultz hopefully returning before the end of the season and Jalen Suggs flashing his playmaking potential, Cole Anthony has a fight on his hands to be the Orlando Magic’s main point guard.

Anthony shined so bright early in the season that it raised the expectations and ceiling for the young guard. He seemed like he had a clear place with the young Magic and their future. Now, with Markelle Fultz set to return and Jalen Suggs flashing his potential more and more, where Anthony fits and what his role with this team moving forward might be are more in question.

Is Anthony the budding young star that started the season? Or is he better suited in a more reduced role?

That is something the rest of the season will be used to determine.

After back-to-back months of averaging more than 20 points per game, January proved to be a difficult one.

Anthony’s scoring dipped to 13.8 points per game last month while shooting just 33.3-percent from the field and 22.7-percent from three. The difficult shots he was making earlier on in the season were not falling and the team’s offense was suffering as a result.

A bothersome ankle injury forced him to miss eight of nine games in December and early January. But he has struggled to regain his rhythm since returning.

But there have been some signs of the 21-year-old getting back to his earlier season form recently though.

He scored 23 points against the Atlanta Hawks in the final game before the All-Star break with good efficiency too — shooting 56.3-percent from the field and 40-percent from three.

This performance should represent a benchmark for Anthony heading into the final stretch of the season in what is sure to be a hotly contested fight to be the team’s main ball handler.

Surprising start

Cole Anthony surprised many with his performances to start the year.

After a strong end to last season, the young point guard picked up where he left off — dismantling his hometown New York Knicks with a 29-point display before scoring 24 points in back-to-back games against the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in October.

The Orlando Magic were not getting the results they wanted, but Anthony’s offensive output was at least keeping the team in games they otherwise would have been way out of.

His 3-point shooting, particularly off the dribble, proved to be a valuable weapon for a team that continues to lack scoring, creativity and offensive dynamism. Anthony thrived running off screens and taking quick, difficult shots off the bounce and was making them at a very high rate.

There was also a noticeable improvement in his playmaking and decision-making. His assists have jumped this season from 4.1 to 5.9 per game. His turnovers only leaped from 2.3 to 2.9 per game with the ball in his hands a whole lot more.

His shooting was not the only threat to opposition defenses either. Anthony was finishing at the rim and had a reliable floater in his bag too, allowing him to punish teams when they forced him away from the perimeter and inside the arc.

Every player goes through good spells and bad spells, especially young players. Only the very best in the league can do it consistently night in, night out, and even they still have off games from time to time.

But Anthony is now shooting at almost exactly the same rates as last season. He is making 39.8-percent of his shots from the field, compared with 39.8-percent last season, and the same 33.7-percent from three as last season.

Starts and stops

The basic statistics do not tell the whole story of Cole Anthony’s start of the season leap and then drastic dip, but on the face of it, it suggests a worrying picture of little improvement.

That is not exactly fair on the Orlando Magic point guard — who has noticeably improved since he entered the league and is also taking a lot more shots than he did last year. But while some sort of dip was to be expected this season compared with how he started, the severity of it came as something of a surprise.

At least some of his slide no doubt has to do with injury. Anthony has had his season disrupted by ankle problems — missing six straight games earlier this season and has missed odd games here and there since returning too.

He was questionable for the Magic in the game against the Hawks before the All-Star break but managed to get out on the court — and also took part in a largely forgettable dunk contest over All-Star weekend.

Even when Anthony has played since coming back from his injury break, it has been unclear just how healthy he has been. The fact he is in for a game and a doubt for the next suggests he is certainly not playing at full health.

Regardless of how much injuries have contributed, his shooting dip had an enormous impact on what the Magic were able to do offensively. His inability to hit threes both off the catch and off the dribble like earlier in the season really limited his effectiveness, and he was not finishing nearly as well at the rim either.

The pull-up jumper he trademarked has been not nearly as effective. According to NBA.com, Anthony is now shooting just 35.7-percent on all pull-ups and 29.8-percent on pull-ups from three.

But the good news is that month has seen big improvements compared with January, particularly in his 3-point shooting – knocking down 46.3-percent of his shots from beyond the arc. That has certainly helped pick up Orlando’s offense some.

He is not playing quite at the peak we have seen from him. But he looks to be getting back towards his best both in terms of scoring and creating for his teammates.

Sticking to defense

The big area of improvement for Cole Anthony to target is clearly still on defense. Despite being a guy who gives 100-percent effort every game, hustling to grab loose balls and defensive boards, when it comes to navigating screens and staying in front of who he is guarding there have been problems.

On a team with defensive potential that far outweighs its offensive potential at present, the Magic cannot really afford to have a weak link. They need everyone defending well to be successful without the offensive firepower other teams possess.

But the fact remains Anthony can do things offensively that no one else on the roster can. He has the raw scoring ability and tendency to make difficult shots which, when he is playing well, vastly improve this offense.

There is so much competition at the point guard spot on this Magic roster too.

Suggs has started at the 2 alongside Anthony this season but has moved to the one when his team-mate is off the floor. And Fultz will (hopefully) return after the All-Star break.

All of these guards have glaring weaknesses. Suggs has not shot well all season and has been very inefficient from the field despite his defensive and playmaking ability, while Fultz has not shot well from deep since entering the NBA and is coming off a serious injury.

It will probably come down to who can most effectively reduce the impact of their weaknesses on the team, whether that is by working on these areas or doing what they are good at so well that it is worth having them as the team’s main ball handler.

The end of this season will be huge for Anthony. If he can score and shoot well from three like he has demonstrated this season, it is going to be hard not to start him even when everyone is healthy.

But, on the other hand, a poor end to the season could see him lose ground to Suggs and Fultz.