Could this be Cole Anthony's year?

[jezzerinho]

I'm not sure how warranted the "selfish" label is in Cole's case. For sure, he's had his moments where any fan's pulse would spike watching CA dribble the clock out.

But in just over 2000 total minutes in only his second season, Cole's assists were responsible for just over 900 team points. That's very comparable to plenty of other starting point guards in the league.

And he achieved it on a team with horrible offense and poorish efficiency. You can be sure he had to endure an above average number of would-be assists had the other player not failed to get the ball in.

On a team with more offensive options, fewer g-leaguers and more NBA experience, i think it's very likely Anthony will be further up there in playmaking league-wide.

[fendilim]

Thb, I like Cole a lot and you can see why I made this post.

He was our leading scorer last season. And before his injury, he was shooting lights out and had a 38 points game.

If you look back after each win, you can see the votes that Cole won it most of the time.

Could he make a jump this year considering all that? Could he take over Fultz and come out as a starter because of his shooting and fit with Suggs?

i don't understand the bias towards Cole on this board. I guarantee you if Cole was a Top 5 pick, instead of the 15th pick, our board will have vastly different opinions on him. You can see that from Suggs.

Could this be Cole's year to make the leap? Could it be his year on Magic team?

Read on Twitter

draft position isnt the problem here. In fact, since his rookie year, he’s been given the opportunity of a top pick. He became the default starting pg getting around 30mpg.

I like the kid. Great IQ, in-game adjustments is on point. But there’s a reason why he ended up from top 5 pick to top 15.

[basketballRob]

I'm not sure how warranted the "selfish" label is in Cole's case. For sure, he's had his moments where any fan's pulse would spike watching CA dribble the clock out.

But in just over 2000 total minutes in only his second season, Cole's assists were responsible for just over 900 team points. That's very comparable to plenty of other starting point guards in the league.

And he achieved it on a team with horrible offense and poorish efficiency. You can be sure he had to endure an above average number of would-be assists had the other player not failed to get the ball in.

On a team with more offensive options, fewer g-leaguers and more NBA experience, i think it's very likely Anthony will be further up there in playmaking league-wide.

It's not that he dribbles the clock out, he'll pass it off to a teammate with one second left so he doesn't have to take a bad shot. He plays like he's constantly making business decisions.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[jezzerinho]

I'm not sure how warranted the "selfish" label is in Cole's case. For sure, he's had his moments where any fan's pulse would spike watching CA dribble the clock out.

But in just over 2000 total minutes in only his second season, Cole's assists were responsible for just over 900 team points. That's very comparable to plenty of other starting point guards in the league.

And he achieved it on a team with horrible offense and poorish efficiency. You can be sure he had to endure an above average number of would-be assists had the other player not failed to get the ball in.

On a team with more offensive options, fewer g-leaguers and more NBA experience, i think it's very likely Anthony will be further up there in playmaking league-wide.

It's not that he dribbles the clock out, he'll pass it off to a teammate with one second left so he doesn't have to take a bad shot. He plays like he's constantly making business decisions.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

Either way the point is his playmaking accounts for a similar number of team points to many other guards.

[Skybox]

I'm not sure how warranted the "selfish" label is in Cole's case. For sure, he's had his moments where any fan's pulse would spike watching CA dribble the clock out.

But in just over 2000 total minutes in only his second season, Cole's assists were responsible for just over 900 team points. That's very comparable to plenty of other starting point guards in the league.

And he achieved it on a team with horrible offense and poorish efficiency. You can be sure he had to endure an above average number of would-be assists had the other player not failed to get the ball in.

On a team with more offensive options, fewer g-leaguers and more NBA experience, i think it's very likely Anthony will be further up there in playmaking league-wide.

It's not that he dribbles the clock out, he'll pass it off to a teammate with one second left so he doesn't have to take a bad shot. He plays like he's constantly making business decisions.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

Either way the point is his playmaking accounts for a similar number of team points to many other guards.

I cringed a lot last year, but I have a hard time believing the narrative that some here have latched onto about passing out of bad stats intentionally...I'd counter that he never had anyone to pass it to (last season) that he thought had a better chance of making it than he did. He'll be playing with teammates that clearly "outrank" him this year, so we'll see what he does. I'm cautiously optimistic.

[basketballRob]

It's not that he dribbles the clock out, he'll pass it off to a teammate with one second left so he doesn't have to take a bad shot. He plays like he's constantly making business decisions.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

Either way the point is his playmaking accounts for a similar number of team points to many other guards.

I cringed a lot last year, but I have a hard time believing the narrative that some here have latched onto about passing out of bad stats intentionally...I'd counter that he never had anyone to pass it to (last season) that he thought had a better chance of making it than he did. He'll be playing with teammates that clearly "outrank" him this year, so we'll see what he does. I'm cautiously optimistic.

He can't even make a simple pass to the next man. Not because he's selfish, he just isn't that capable. He shoots a lot because it's a better option than trying to pass it.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[jezzerinho]

It's not that he dribbles the clock out, he'll pass it off to a teammate with one second left so he doesn't have to take a bad shot. He plays like he's constantly making business decisions.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

Either way the point is his playmaking accounts for a similar number of team points to many other guards.

I cringed a lot last year, but I have a hard time believing the narrative that some here have latched onto about passing out of bad stats intentionally...I'd counter that he never had anyone to pass it to (last season) that he thought had a better chance of making it than he did. He'll be playing with teammates that clearly "outrank" him this year, so we'll see what he does. I'm cautiously optimistic.

That's about how I feel too.

[Audi]

Either way the point is his playmaking accounts for a similar number of team points to many other guards.

I cringed a lot last year, but I have a hard time believing the narrative that some here have latched onto about passing out of bad stats intentionally...I'd counter that he never had anyone to pass it to (last season) that he thought had a better chance of making it than he did. He'll be playing with teammates that clearly "outrank" him this year, so we'll see what he does. I'm cautiously optimistic.

That's about how I feel too.

Basically, Cole's role here so far has been the same role he played at UNC and for similar reasons. But now with Franz emerging, Fultz returning, and now Paolo joining, Cole has got a great opportunity to carve out a spot for himself on this team while avoiding some of the issues that made him drop from a top 5 prospect to 15th.

[Skybox]

I cringed a lot last year, but I have a hard time believing the narrative that some here have latched onto about passing out of bad stats intentionally...I'd counter that he never had anyone to pass it to (last season) that he thought had a better chance of making it than he did. He'll be playing with teammates that clearly "outrank" him this year, so we'll see what he does. I'm cautiously optimistic.

That's about how I feel too.

Basically, Cole's role here so far has been the same role he played at UNC and for similar reasons. But now with Franz emerging, Fultz returning, and now Paolo joining, Cole has got a great opportunity to carve out a spot for himself on this team while avoiding some of the issues that made him drop from a top 5 prospect to 15th.

As (generally) an optimist...I can completely buy in to that. He wants to compete and win. He might have a selfish game, but I don't think he has a selfish nature. I think he'll buy in because he could have a BIG role here if he's focusing on what he can do rather than try to play more like Fultz and/or Suggs. He's a shooter and a scorer, who has been a really inefficient PG...maybe if he embraces a secondary creator role, he carves out an important, more complementary spot. I can't just throw out a guy who can score...I'd rather teach someone when NOT to shoot, rather than how to shoot at this level.

[zaymon]

That's about how I feel too.

Basically, Cole's role here so far has been the same role he played at UNC and for similar reasons. But now with Franz emerging, Fultz returning, and now Paolo joining, Cole has got a great opportunity to carve out a spot for himself on this team while avoiding some of the issues that made him drop from a top 5 prospect to 15th.

As (generally) an optimist...I can completely buy in to that. He wants to compete and win. He might have a selfish game, but I don't think he has a selfish nature. I think he'll buy in because he could have a BIG role here if he's focusing on what he can do rather than try to play more like Fultz and/or Suggs. He's a shooter and a scorer, who has been a really inefficient PG...maybe if he embraces a secondary creator role, he carves out an important, more complementary spot. I can't just throw out a guy who can score...I'd rather teach someone when NOT to shoot, rather than how to shoot at this level.

Cole at his core is still UNC Cole, and thats why his role should be limited and not expanded.
Wagner came to the same team as a rookie and showed you can play unselfish, efficient basketball with same teammates.
Cole seems selfish as a player and very egocentric as a person. It doesnt mean he is a bad person, but he is who he is.
I would rather teach how to shoot player who has good basketball mind than teach how to process a game just a good shooter.
Better to accept Anthony as he is and focus on his strengths. Danny Green became part of championship puzzle when Spurs came into realization he cant really play basketball in traditional sense.

[drsd]

Cole at his core is still UNC Cole, and thats why his role should be limited and not expanded.
Wagner came to the same team as a rookie and showed you can play unselfish, efficient basketball with same teammates.
Cole seems selfish as a player and very egocentric as a person. It doesnt mean he is a bad person, but he is who he is.
I would rather teach how to shoot player who has good basketball mind than teach how to process a game just a good shooter.
Better to accept Anthony as he is and focus on his strengths. Danny Green became part of championship puzzle when Spurs came into realization he cant really play basketball in traditional sense.

And-1

I am absolutely convinced that Anthony can be a lead leading 6th man, but only if he accepts that is what his career is meant to be and commits to a "J.J. Barea" type of role. Or just trade him to the Knicks. I am ok with that outcome as well.

[Audi]

We do need to be careful not to simply force Cole into a 6th man role, though. It may be that it's the perfect spot for him, but we still need to get a good look at him on the floor with other facilitators like Franz and Paolo. One of his major struggles going back to scouting reports is that he has trouble blending his "pass" and "shoot" modes. That is - he reads and then decides whether he's going to shoot or pass instead of making those reads and decisions on the fly as the game unfolds...not ideal from a heavily relied upon PG, and that (coupled with bad shot selections) can come off as 'selfish'. However, dispersing facilitating duties to guys like Franz and Paolo would allow him to focus more on shooting and moving off ball...very well could be something our starting lineup would benefit from especially if his 3ball improves.

[Black and Blue]

I feel like Paolo has the ability to completely reshape this team around him, I think that highly of what he has brought so far. That means players like Cole have a chance to reinvent their style of play by the addition of a new alpha playing next to them.

I could see Cole taking a major leap by prioritizing efficiency, high-energy playmaking, and being excited to be a 2nd or 3rd scoring option within a starting lineup. The Brunson comparisons represent a path he could very much take if Paolo and/or Franz take on more of the scoring load.

I'm usually of the belief that players are who they are and it takes something major to get them to perform otherwise, but this Paolo addition I view as one of those exceptions.