Cole Anthony staying ready speaks to Orlando Magic's culture

Cole Anthony wears his emotions on his sleeve. That is part of his appeal and part of why he is a beloved player on the Orlando Magic’s roster.

He is all about his teammates and pumping them up. He celebrates every win in the loudest possible way. His postgame news conferences are legendary.

Similarly, while his support for his teammates does not change. His disappointment right now is clear too. He wants to play and falling out of the rotation has been hard on him.

This year has been a difficult one for him. His shot betrayed him. The Magic seemingly moved on from him. He fell out of the rotation. His frustration was written all over his face even if he understood the reasons and got the answer straight up from his coach when that decision was made.

This is the NBA though. Eighty-two games is a long time. A team will need everyone on their roster at some point. The injury bug hits every team. And Anthony knows as well as anyone he has to be ready. His number could be called again at any time.

With opportunity fleeting, Anthony needed to make an impression when that time came. That is his only ticket back into the rotation. The pressure is higher than ever before.

The wheel spun toward Anthony again on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets. Jalen Suggs was out with a strained hamstring suffered in the first half of Saturday’s win over the Detroit Pistons. Gary Harris left in the first quarter with his own strained hamstring. Orlando needed Anthony to step up.

Especially considering the Magic could not hit a shot for the first three quarters of their 95-84 win over the Hornets.

Relief is probably not the right word. But it certainly felt like it when Anthony stepped on the floor. With a clear role to finish this game, Anthony looked like himself again.

And everyone recognized what that meant to the team.

"Gritty and gutsy win," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Monday's win. "Bodies down. And we never make excuses. That's the second game we found a way to win. Guys stepped up and stepped in. It's amazing the guys recognized the contribution of Cole Anthony. To be not in rotation at times. That's the definition of staying ready for your moment to happen."

Anthony scored 16 points off the bench on 6-for-12 shooting and 2-for-4 shooting from three. He had a team-high eight rebounds and four assists against one turnover. He was everywhere and played critical minutes for the team.

He immediately took the court and found his rhythm hit a layup off a cut from a Goga Bitadze feed. From there, he looked like himself for the first time all year. Bravely going into the paint to take floaters and tough fadeaways.

They may not have all gone in. But the confidence and swagger was back. He played a critical part in the Magic's win in the end.

Anthony's three-pointer early in the fourth quarter was the first of three straight for the Magic that broke the game open. Anthony was a spark that lit the Magic to a win.

It may not be something permanent. But it was a moment. A moment that showed who Anthony still is and can be.

“It’s cool man. I put a lot of work in,” Anthony said after Monday's win. “When stuff doesn't go your way, it's hard to cope with that. I do what I can to stay ready. By the Lord's blessing, shots fell tonight. I would love to do it again.”

Good teams stay ready

It was by far the best game of his frustrating season. And every point felt necessary considering the team’s offensive struggles.

It was a relief for him too. And it is a sign of the trust the Orlando Magic have in everyone on their roster.

So much is still written about the team's culture and togetherness. This is the test though. What does a player do when they are out of the rotation? How do they contribute when their number is called on again?

While the Magic operate on vibes, they are still a team trying to win. They are sitting in third in the Eastern Conference. Winning is still the goal. And the team has major ambitions for the season.

Nobody gets left behind. But not everybody gets to play. That is the situation Anthony walked into.

"I tell myself to stay ready," Anthony said after Monday's game. "Be consistent. Whenever my name is called, stay ready. . . . I put a lot of work in. When stuff doesn't go your way, it's hard to cope with that. I do what I can to stay ready. By the Lord's blessing, shots fell tonight. I would love to do it again."

Anthony needed the boost

Cole Anthony entered the game averaging just 3.8 points per game and shooting 33.3 percent from the floor and 23.1 percent from three. If offense was his most reliable skill, he has struggled to keep it up. It is why he fell out of favor.

His game Monday night was more reminiscent of how he played last year when he averaged 11.6 points per game and was a critical player off the bench. Anthony has a scorer's instinct. And he has had to reactivate it at some point.

But even last year, Anthony was taking steps backward. His efficiency decreased dramatically as he adjusted to a bench role. An early season thigh injury slowed him down significantly too.

Anthony was never efficient, but his best seasons saw him shoot nearly 50 percent from inside the arc and about 33 percent from three. That is the element missing from his early season games. The Magic moved to other players in the rotation trying to capture their defensive identity and elevate it.

But everyone will be called upon at some point in the season. It is on them to be ready. And Anthony was ready Monday night.

“He's a professional,” Jonathan Isaac said after Monday's win. “Sometimes it's just not your night. and sometimes you don't have the opportunity for it to be your night. He's kept his head down and waited for the opportunity. It happened to be this game. He's a big reason why we won this game”

Every team will say the cliché: "next man up" at some point during the season. They will ask players to step into the rotation when players inevitably miss games due to injury. The best teams find a way to survive. Their bench players step up when their number is called.

It is part of the team's culture that everyone is ready when called on. Anthony’s number was called and he stepped up when the team needed him.

The question will be how long he has to wait for the next opportunity.

It may come in Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls. It may come in a few weeks. Or it may not circle back around. But Anthony showed he will be ready. And the more he stays ready and contributes, the more he puts pressure on Mosley to include him.

Monday was an important step for Anthony indeed.