The son of longtime NBA player and current analyst Greg Anthony, Cole was rated as the nation’s fourth-best recruit (247Sports composite) in the 2019 class.
But his draft stock slipped over his only college season, after missing time due to knee surgery and playing for a North Carolina team that took a stunning nosedive in 2019-20.
Anthony is generously listed at 6-feet-3 and 190 pounds. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists over 22 games this past season.
Anthony is a high-usage, score-first point guard, which naturally makes him one of the more polarizing prospects in this year’s draft class.
He is known as a streaky shooter. That reputation has statistical evidence, as he made only 38 percent of his attempts from the field this past season.
Anthony will shoot off the catch and while pulling up, but improved shot selection will be key at the NBA level. He can also create space for himself to drive inside, but only converted 53.6 percent of his attempts around the rim (hoopmath.com). It’s fair to wonder how much of that inefficiency was due to a lack of talent surrounding him at North Carolina, and the need for him to dominate the ball and figure out ways to score.
Anthony can handle the ball in the pick and roll and is dynamic in transition. He is a great rebounder for his size, helping ignite the break. But he is not a strong passer, which is disappointing for a point guard.
Anthony draws comparisons to Austin Rivers — a bench spark, but not a starting point guard. Depending on where he goes in the draft, Anthony could be a contender for the “good stats, bad team” label.
First round
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
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