1 Orlando Magic candidate for each NBA award
Sixth Man Of The Year: Cole Anthony
Cole Anthony had his best season in his three-year career last year even if the numbers did not explicitly show it.
Playing fewer minutes as he adjusted to a role off the bench, Anthony averaged 13.0 points per game and 3.9 assists per game. Still, he shot a career-best 51.6 percent effective field goal percentage, 57.0 percent true shooting percentage, 45.4 percent from the floor overall and 36.4 percent from deep.
At his core, Anthony is a microwave scorer who can get hot at any moment, which makes him the perfect bench-scoring guard.
Orlando feels confident in what it will get in its starters. But a lot of its potential success comes down to its depth.
So far this season, Anthony has proven to be reliable offensively. One of the few players who are actually pretty reliable to score. And he has helped anchor one of the highest scoring benches in the entire league through its first week.
FanDuel lists Anthony as having +3400 odds to take home the Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Anthony, in the beginning stages of the season, has been flourishing in his bench role so far, averaging 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists to start the season entering Saturday’s game.
This summer, he signed a three-year, $39 million deal, proving worth the investment.