Cole World: Orlando Magic Select Cole Anthony at #15

[Orl_Magic]

Lets give Cole a chance. I hope he proves everyone wrong and he is Steve Clifford's new Kemba Walker.

[Skybox]

I don't hate this pick at all, but it doesn't come close to solving our SF scoring problem. I like Cole taking DJ's job to begin and, hopefully, ultimately playing alongside Fultz in an aggressive 2 guard lineup like CJ and Dame...If Fultz gets his shot back, we're on our way, if not, let the best PG win. Having a big strong PG in Fultz is a luxury defensively. Would be nice if he didn't HAVE to cover 2's but he could.

I still like AG and Evan for Hayward and something...takes a lot of offensive pressure off of guards and he'd work really well with Vuc while keeping us very competitive in the East (depending on how the young guys come along). Klay Thompson situation might bring them back to the table for Evan and AG both...but what comes back?

I'd be fine starting TRoss in place of Evan in a more controlled role than his current "green light-you're the only guy on the bench. go" mode.

[fendilim]

It just really makes me very nervous to casually explain away all of a player’s struggles due to the circumstances around him.

Even if all that stuff is 100% accurate and it was the worst UNC team in decades, it was still *North freaking Carolina* hoops.

You would hope to see a player who is that talented would actually be able to overcome his obstacles and not be ruined by them.

It makes me particularly nervous due to the fact that so many scouts and fans, including myself, did the exact same thing with another 6'3 point guard who came out of a school in North Carolina a couple of years ago. DSJ put up relatively inefficient numbers and failed to impress but most of it was explained away due to the bad team he played on and the knee injury he suffered the year before.

Sounds familiar. It's also worth noting that DSJ had a significantly higher TS% then Cole during their one year at college and has failed to shoot above 40% in 2 of his 3 years in the league so far. We got Cole with the 15th pick in the draft though, so it would make sense that there would be higher risk, I just think it's important for people to be careful chalking up all his struggles in college to those two things.

There are legitimate red flags which is why he could have been on his way to falling in the mid-late 20's or even the second round.

there are certainly similar situations with dsj and cole. But i think their character as a person is what separates both.
Iirc, dsj even missed a predraft event or something cause it was too early for him.

[pepe1991]

Come on, Pepe! Why so negative and biased from the beginning???

At least wait to see him play a couple of games and then start bashing him.
I know everyone had some favorite players in the draft. Obviously, you had yours and Cole Anthony isn't one of them, but why being so negative without a reason???

As ARandomStranger pointed out, he had a very bad supporting cast in UNC. Even your arguments and stats you brought up regarding shots taken vs. assists made seem to confirm the exact same thing when you try to analyze them and not only see the disparity or the FG% and say in a heartbeat: "Naaah, too many shots, too bad FG%, this guy sucks."

That's not smart. I don't particularly like our FO, but say what you want about them, they have some old-school draft and evaluating approach when it comes to these young prospects and they do their homework, getting to know their mentality, their background, their BBIQ, their toughness, etc. (Yes, Bamba is not there yet.)

Hating on a talented scorer and explosive guard because he's not "your guy" without giving him a chance is just stupid and not productive. Of course, he won't be what we really look for and hope, for now. He's 20 years old. How can he be D.Lillard or Steph Curry or Jamal Murray or Baron Davis or anyone...We need to wait and see and have that conversation in 2 years, not now. Now is the time to support him.

Hell, this team and Magic's fanbase desperately need some excitement and joy, not blind hate and searching for anything negative about our players. Some fans are just too used to being down and negative about anything and everything...I guess that's what happens after our dumb rebuild and disaster Henny era.

Let me show you what actually people thought about Cole Anthony before all the crap started 10 hours ago and he joined Magic





Ben was only one who kind a liked him. Common sense was " if Brandon Jennigs younger brother was in draft "

Sure, as I said, some like the guy, some are OK with the pick and some dislike him. That's normal.

I can also give you a list of guys who suppport the pick and are happy with Cole:
The Real Dalic, Optimus_Steel, nymets1, 3ddman23, Anfernee1, The Effect, Kent, JBSouthpaw, IllMagic04, ARandomStranger....just to name a few.

Hating on someone just because he's not your guy (yet) is not smart.

Cole has the skillset this roster desperately needs and high potential. If he lives up to it (which is the case for most of the young players in any draft), we'll be set with our backcourt for years to come. Give him a chance and let's support him first before we actually have some NBA stats and data to criticize him.

I don't understand why should i act exited about player i didn't like day ago, just because he got drafted by my team?
Wanted Nesmith, went 1 spot ahead, hoped for Bey as team has no SF depth whatsoever- passed on him and they took guy i can't see anyhing more than backup PG in nba?

I'm happy that you are some others are exited about him, but you have to be ok with me or anbody else don't being that happy with selection.

You guys love your " but he got injuried" excuse so i was bored and played a little with " how good he was before" and ... He was pretty much same - trigger happy chucker before and after injury

STATS BEFORE INJURY
He shot 56-152 = 36,8%
In that period he shot 22-62 = 35% for 3

32 assits -34 turnovers.

So basically he was actually worst player before injury , or at very best same player. All together, there was not a single period of his college career where he looked like PLAYMAKER that has any control over a game or a team or offense. Wild, out of control, trigger happy, chasing own shots is only thing he was doing.

From what i've said 7 days ago i stand today, he is shooting guard too small to play at SG so he is at PG by default. But he does not have BBIQ, decison making nor control to be starting PG in nba.

Even plays like this show why he isn't point guard.



Instad of most obvious pass in history, he crashed into a middle of a court into 2 biggest defenders and still hoists up some brick. ( offensive foul- charge was called )

Down the line maybe he'll be solid change of pace guard off bench, Jordan Clarkson type player. That's my best bet with him.

I hope i'm wrong, but based on what he showed so far, i highly doubt i am.

[Max Power]

I’ll admit last night I was disappointed with the Magic picking Cole Anthony. Our team needs wing scorers more than a combo guard with pg size. I was hoping for Neismith or Bane or some kind of pure blood shooter with size.

With all that being said, from everything I’ve seen about Anthony, he’s an offensive talent, which we do need regardless. So I’ll support the guy, he’s a Magician now and hopefully he brings an edge to this team that it’s been missing. We need a guy like that on this team.

[Def Swami]

This is a complete gamble/upside pick. And I'm here for it.

The pick makes a lot of sense from this standpoint. He might have the highest star potential of any of the remaining players. After Kira Lewis Jr. and Aaron Nesmith were gone, I was personally mum about the rest of the available picks. Saddiq Bey and Josh Green might be good role players for a team, but the Magic are a team starved for higher end talent.

The Magic have lacked a star player for the last 8 years. They've spent 8 years searching for some semblance of a scorer and creator. The last guard to average more than 20 ppg for the team was Steve Francis in '04.

Anthony was consistently the best player of his class prior to college. The meniscus injury did affect his athleticism, and I was always surprised that he even returned to play. He easily could have sat the season out like Michael Porter Jr. did in 2017.

Speaking of Porter Jr., in some ways this pick reminds me of that one for the Nuggets. It's completely a gamble that the kid's natural talent and high school career is more reflective than his college one. If he hits, you're looking at a star. If he doesn't, he's not in the league 3 years from now. Personally, and I believe the front office feels similarly, you live with those consequences knowing the other picks were unlikely to move the needle for you as a franchise.

He has the game of someone who wants to be Damian Lillard or Jamal Murray, and I find that intriguing and refreshing for the Orlando Magic. It's hard to find freshmen guards who already have pull up 3's, step back jumpers, and side step jumpers in their arsenal already. I think he needed more time and rehab after his surgery to get back to the speed, agility, and athleticism he had as a high school athlete, and I'm hopeful he has gotten that since the college basketball season ended. At the very least, he'll fight on defense, and I think Clifford will appreciate that.

He seems like a really mature kid who wants to be great. I have no doubts that he loves the game and will do what it takes to maximize his potential. He's an easy guy to root for.

I think he should seamlessly fit into our back up PG role. He'll need a lot of tutelage on running an NBA offense and making reads of the pick n' roll. But, he'll have a good opportunity to showcase his skill as a creator against bench units. I'm looking forward to the Anthony/Ross/Okeke/Bamba lineup.

I'm not as worried about his fit with Fultz. The Magic still aren't in a position to worry about fit. They're still looking for guys they can build around. I think that will play itself out based on how they perform. If both prove to be great, then we have our version of Dame and CJ. Fultz is more a limiting factor here given he has no ability to play without the ball in his hands at this time. If Fultz never becomes a threat to hit shots from outside the paint, this whole conversation is moot and he won't be on the team after next season anyway.

He wasn't my first choice, but I think of what was left on the table for the Magic, it's easy to see why he was the pick. He has the highest ceiling and the lowest floor. I'm hoping for the best, and I will be content with the worst.

[tiderulz]

I don't hate this pick at all, but it doesn't come close to solving our SF scoring problem. I like Cole taking DJ's job to begin and, hopefully, ultimately playing alongside Fultz in an aggressive 2 guard lineup like CJ and Dame...If Fultz gets his shot back, we're on our way, if not, let the best PG win. Having a big strong PG in Fultz is a luxury defensively. Would be nice if he didn't HAVE to cover 2's but he could.

I still like AG and Evan for Hayward and something...takes a lot of offensive pressure off of guards and he'd work really well with Vuc while keeping us very competitive in the East (depending on how the young guys come along). Klay Thompson situation might bring them back to the table for Evan and AG both...but what comes back?

I'd be fine starting TRoss in place of Evan in a more controlled role than his current "green light-you're the only guy on the bench. go" mode.

I still think Okeke could lose 5-10 lbs and be a 3 & D SF. many draft reports compared him to Covington.

[MaKiaVeLi7]

Let me show you what actually people thought about Cole Anthony before all the crap started 10 hours ago and he joined Magic





Ben was only one who kind a liked him. Common sense was " if Brandon Jennigs younger brother was in draft "

Sure, as I said, some like the guy, some are OK with the pick and some dislike him. That's normal.

I can also give you a list of guys who suppport the pick and are happy with Cole:
The Real Dalic, Optimus_Steel, nymets1, 3ddman23, Anfernee1, The Effect, Kent, JBSouthpaw, IllMagic04, ARandomStranger....just to name a few.

Hating on someone just because he's not your guy (yet) is not smart.

Cole has the skillset this roster desperately needs and high potential. If he lives up to it (which is the case for most of the young players in any draft), we'll be set with our backcourt for years to come. Give him a chance and let's support him first before we actually have some NBA stats and data to criticize him.

I don't understand why should i act exited about player i didn't like day ago, just because he got drafted by my team?
Wanted Nesmith, went 1 spot ahead, hoped for Bey as team has no SF depth whatsoever- passed on him and they took guy i can't see anyhing more than backup PG in nba?

I'm happy that you are some others are exited about him, but you have to be ok with me or anbody else don't being that happy with selection.

You guys love your " but he got injuried" excuse so i was bored and played a little with " how good he was before" and ... He was pretty much same - trigger happy chucker before and after injury

STATS BEFORE INJURY
He shot 56-152 = 36,8%
In that period he shot 22-62 = 35% for 3

32 assits -34 turnovers.

So basically he was actually worst player before injury , or at very best same player. All together, there was not a single period of his college career where he looked like PLAYMAKER that has any control over a game or a team or offense. Wild, out of control, trigger happy, chasing own shots is only thing he was doing.

From what i've said 7 days ago i stand today, he is shooting guard too small to play at SG so he is at PG by default. But he does not have BBIQ, decison making nor control to be starting PG in nba.

Even plays like this show why he isn't point guard.



Instad of most obvious pass in history, he crashed into a middle of a court into 2 biggest defenders and still hoists up some brick. ( offensive foul- charge was called )

Down the line maybe he'll be solid change of pace guard off bench, Jordan Clarkson type player. That's my best bet with him.

I hope i'm wrong, but based on what he showed so far, i highly doubt i am.

Well, everybody's entitled to their own preference and opinion.
We'll see what comes out of this draft pick.

There are some questions with his game, and there are some positives that are obvious to see.
Most if not all of his weaknesses can be fixed and his game will be a lot more polished and smooth when he starts playing with other NBA talent.

Let's not turn that discussion into a love-hate word barrage. If he does not pan out and we don't see any improvement or flashes by next year, yeah, he is a bust. But nothing makes me think such a negative outcome is probable, on the contrary, the guy has high motor and willingness to succeed at this level. He is a competitive dog and plays with fire. We need that.

Also, think about it: who would you rather have as a backup? An old and weak DJ or an up and coming athletic explosive scorer and shot creator, offensive threat and an elite guard rebounder who can push the tempo???

I strongly believe all Magic fans should root for Cole only because if he succeeds early on, it will only contribute to getting rid of Fournier sooner and breaking the buddy-ball nightmare. Only based on that I think he should have a strong fanbase here.

[IllMagic04]

Im still confused on who we shoulda drafted with how the draft shook out.

Cole had a tough year no doubt about it. He takes bad shots. Like unaccetably bad shots. Early in the shot clock bad shots. Some so bad I was shocked Roy Williams didnt sit him with some of the garbage he put up. His Fg% reflects exactly that. He took alot of low percentage shots and he has low FG%. Its really simple as that. Thats his problem. Not talent. He shot 38% from the floor but I havnt seen one scout say he flat out cant shoot. Why is that? Cause numbers dont always tell the full story. Sometimes they do but not always. UNC ran alot of ISO for him. Why is that? Thats not typically their style. It cause it was their best chance to score. Its not a an excuse for some of the shots he threw up but it is for some. He was their best offensive weapon and all of the scoring and ball handling load fell on him and he wasn't ready. However the potential for not just a shot maker but a shot creater is clearly there if you watched him play. The bust potential is clearly there too. At 15 in a weaker draft Im rolling the dice and taking my chances.

Sent from my SM-G970U using RealGM mobile app

[swarlesbarkley]

I think WeHam took Anthony as BPA but I also think he and Fultz could work together with Fultz being the primary ball handler / playmaker and Anthony being the off ball shooter / get a bucket when needed.

Fultz
Anthony
Okeke
Isaac
Bamba

That's all WeHam. Seems like we're building to that. This year we will play Evan, Vuc, and AG a bunch to compete and to up their trade values (if they even have any) and then go with this line-up when Isaac comes back.

[pepe1991]

Sure, as I said, some like the guy, some are OK with the pick and some dislike him. That's normal.

I can also give you a list of guys who suppport the pick and are happy with Cole:
The Real Dalic, Optimus_Steel, nymets1, 3ddman23, Anfernee1, The Effect, Kent, JBSouthpaw, IllMagic04, ARandomStranger....just to name a few.

Hating on someone just because he's not your guy (yet) is not smart.

Cole has the skillset this roster desperately needs and high potential. If he lives up to it (which is the case for most of the young players in any draft), we'll be set with our backcourt for years to come. Give him a chance and let's support him first before we actually have some NBA stats and data to criticize him.

I don't understand why should i act exited about player i didn't like day ago, just because he got drafted by my team?
Wanted Nesmith, went 1 spot ahead, hoped for Bey as team has no SF depth whatsoever- passed on him and they took guy i can't see anyhing more than backup PG in nba?

I'm happy that you are some others are exited about him, but you have to be ok with me or anbody else don't being that happy with selection.

You guys love your " but he got injuried" excuse so i was bored and played a little with " how good he was before" and ... He was pretty much same - trigger happy chucker before and after injury

STATS BEFORE INJURY
He shot 56-152 = 36,8%
In that period he shot 22-62 = 35% for 3

32 assits -34 turnovers.

So basically he was actually worst player before injury , or at very best same player. All together, there was not a single period of his college career where he looked like PLAYMAKER that has any control over a game or a team or offense. Wild, out of control, trigger happy, chasing own shots is only thing he was doing.

From what i've said 7 days ago i stand today, he is shooting guard too small to play at SG so he is at PG by default. But he does not have BBIQ, decison making nor control to be starting PG in nba.

Even plays like this show why he isn't point guard.



Instad of most obvious pass in history, he crashed into a middle of a court into 2 biggest defenders and still hoists up some brick. ( offensive foul- charge was called )

Down the line maybe he'll be solid change of pace guard off bench, Jordan Clarkson type player. That's my best bet with him.

I hope i'm wrong, but based on what he showed so far, i highly doubt i am.

Well, everybody's entitled to their own preference and opinion.
We'll see what comes out of this draft pick.

There are some questions with his game, and there are some positives that are obvious to see.
Most if not all of his weaknesses can be fixed and his game will be a lot more polished and smooth when he starts playing with other NBA talent.

Let's not turn that discussion into a love-hate word barrage. If he does not pan out and we don't see any improvement or flashes by next year, yeah, he is a bust. But nothing makes me think such a negative outcome is probable, on the contrary, the guy has high motor and willingness to succeed at this level. He is a competitive dog and plays with fire. We need that.

Also, think about it: who would you rather have as a backup? An old and weak DJ or an up and coming athletic explosive scorer and shot creator, offensive threat and an elite guard rebounder who can push the tempo???

I strongly believe all Magic fans should root for Cole only because if he succeeds early on, it will only contribute to getting rid of Fournier sooner and breaking the buddy-ball nightmare. Only based on that I think he should have a strong fanbase here.

Let's get super specific, without investing emotions in it.

I'm very, very confused with fit with current roster , projected future roster and Cole Anthony.
Magic are investing money and probably exstending Markelle Fultz. He is our PG of future, for better or worst. Right? It's no secret he is more talented than Cole, everybody can agree with that.
Can their game co-exist? Not really. Since both are ball dominant and not much of a natural scorers off catch. Due Fultz condition, he is probably most usless off ball players along Westbrook and Rubio in whole league.
Can Cole play SG ? Not really, he is very small and short , with thiny wingspan that will make it impossible for him to guard other SGs . And you are what you can guard. If you can't guard anybody you are Steph Curry ( ) . Jokes aside, there are just 4 undersized high quality SGs in whole league:

1) Donovan Mitchell, supereme athlete, built like a NFL player
2) Bradley Beal, another bulky, muscular guard
3) CJ McCullum ( who is always weakest link on Blazers already weak defense )
4) Jrue Holiday, equipped with 6'7 wingspan and nose for defense

But if he is allegedly 6'2 in shoes, with already reported 6'3 -and half wingspan, he is still smaller than any of them.

Short term, for Orlando, he is backup, without any doubt he won't start single game as long as Fultz is funcional and running.
So in that second unit, depending is Okeke starting, you are already running into trubles.
There is rookie PG, rookie SF-PF, very raw and very lost on both ends -Bamba and whoever plays with SF-PF . And Ross.
Ross might take every shot bench unit takes

From start there is obvious lack of quality pick&roll action, bread and butter of every offense, and fans don't seem to understand why Bamba "looked" better in second than in rookie year. ( spoiler alert, he didn't have to play with Bricscoe and Grant but spent wohle year playing off DJ Augustin ) Bamba is only treat as pop option, and kind a terrible rolling big. In same time Cole Anthony flat out sucked as finisher around rim. So both guys in pick&roll action have same desire to - shoot and not go inside. That's trouble.


i just find it funny how people get exited about edited videos of players practicing over 5'5 coaches that don't contest their jumpshots. LIke, i watched Derick Rose pregame shootarounds where guy would bang 19 out of 20 threes and come in game and shot 1 for 6 every game. Or there would be video of Dante Exum beating chairs off dribble and he would get Kobe comparisons

[Knightro]

I still think Okeke could lose 5-10 lbs and be a 3 & D SF. many draft reports compared him to Covington.

Convington doesn't really play SF anymore for what it's worth.

He's also listed at 209 lbs where Okeke is listed at 230.

[bigdogdylan5]

I will never understand this board. 95% of you if I asked what skill you want in a draft pick you would all say "Someone who can score the MF basketball." This is the 15th pick in an extremely weak draft and we took the one guy outside of the top picks that has the ceiling of an all star that can score. Not saying that will be him but that is a range in his outcomes. If I told you all last year we would land Cole Anthony in this draft. 99% of you would have said hell yes, and other 1% would argue just to argue. No question he had a bad year on a bad team, but you listen to anyone talk about college basketball will say the rest of the players at UNC were awful. We finally took a swing on a guy (all of you kept begging for it) who isn't long and "safe." I would have been for any pick in this draft if they had the potential to score the damn basketball.

[tiderulz]

I still think Okeke could lose 5-10 lbs and be a 3 & D SF. many draft reports compared him to Covington.

Convington doesn't really play SF anymore for what it's worth.

He's also listed at 209 lbs where Okeke is listed at 230.

Kawhi is 225, so is Paul George. Jimmy Butler is 230, Derozan is 220, Middleton 220+, Bojan 226, TJ Warren 220, Tobias 230.

like i said, lose 5-10 lbs.

[VFX]

Im still confused on who we shoulda drafted with how the draft shook out.

Cole had a tough year no doubt about it. He takes bad shots. Like unaccetably bad shots. Early in the shot clock bad shots. Some so bad I was shocked Roy Williams didnt sit him with some of the garbage he put up. His Fg% reflects exactly that. He took alot of low percentage shots and he has low FG%. Its really simple as that. Thats his problem. Not talent. He shot 38% from the floor but I havnt seen one scout say he flat out cant shoot. Why is that? Cause numbers dont always tell the full story. Sometimes they do but not always. UNC ran alot of ISO for him. Why is that? Thats not typically their style. It cause it was their best chance to score. Its not a an excuse for some of the shots he threw up but it is for some. He was their best offensive weapon and all of the scoring and ball handling load fell on him and he wasn't ready. However the potential for not just a shot maker but a shot creater is clearly there if you watched him play. The bust potential is clearly there too. At 15 in a weaker draft Im rolling the dice and taking my chances.

Sent from my SM-G970U using RealGM mobile app

Probably Saddiq Bey or Tyrese Maxey tbh.

[basketballRob]

I don't understand why should i act exited about player i didn't like day ago, just because he got drafted by my team?
Wanted Nesmith, went 1 spot ahead, hoped for Bey as team has no SF depth whatsoever- passed on him and they took guy i can't see anyhing more than backup PG in nba?

I'm happy that you are some others are exited about him, but you have to be ok with me or anbody else don't being that happy with selection.

You guys love your " but he got injuried" excuse so i was bored and played a little with " how good he was before" and ... He was pretty much same - trigger happy chucker before and after injury

STATS BEFORE INJURY
He shot 56-152 = 36,8%
In that period he shot 22-62 = 35% for 3

32 assits -34 turnovers.

So basically he was actually worst player before injury , or at very best same player. All together, there was not a single period of his college career where he looked like PLAYMAKER that has any control over a game or a team or offense. Wild, out of control, trigger happy, chasing own shots is only thing he was doing.

From what i've said 7 days ago i stand today, he is shooting guard too small to play at SG so he is at PG by default. But he does not have BBIQ, decison making nor control to be starting PG in nba.

Even plays like this show why he isn't point guard.



Instad of most obvious pass in history, he crashed into a middle of a court into 2 biggest defenders and still hoists up some brick. ( offensive foul- charge was called )

Down the line maybe he'll be solid change of pace guard off bench, Jordan Clarkson type player. That's my best bet with him.

I hope i'm wrong, but based on what he showed so far, i highly doubt i am.

Well, everybody's entitled to their own preference and opinion.
We'll see what comes out of this draft pick.

There are some questions with his game, and there are some positives that are obvious to see.
Most if not all of his weaknesses can be fixed and his game will be a lot more polished and smooth when he starts playing with other NBA talent.

Let's not turn that discussion into a love-hate word barrage. If he does not pan out and we don't see any improvement or flashes by next year, yeah, he is a bust. But nothing makes me think such a negative outcome is probable, on the contrary, the guy has high motor and willingness to succeed at this level. He is a competitive dog and plays with fire. We need that.

Also, think about it: who would you rather have as a backup? An old and weak DJ or an up and coming athletic explosive scorer and shot creator, offensive threat and an elite guard rebounder who can push the tempo???

I strongly believe all Magic fans should root for Cole only because if he succeeds early on, it will only contribute to getting rid of Fournier sooner and breaking the buddy-ball nightmare. Only based on that I think he should have a strong fanbase here.

Let's get super specific, without investing emotions in it.

I'm very, very confused with fit with current roster , projected future roster and Cole Anthony.
Magic are investing money and probably exstending Markelle Fultz. He is our PG of future, for better or worst. Right? It's no secret he is more talented than Cole, everybody can agree with that.
Can their game co-exist? Not really. Since both are ball dominant and not much of a natural scorers off catch. Due Fultz condition, he is probably most usless off ball players along Westbrook and Rubio in whole league.
Can Cole play SG ? Not really, he is very small and short , with thiny wingspan that will make it impossible for him to guard other SGs . And you are what you can guard. If you can't guard anybody you are Steph Curry ( ) . Jokes aside, there are just 4 undersized high quality SGs in whole league:

1) Donovan Mitchell, supereme athlete, built like a NFL player
2) Bradley Beal, another bulky, muscular guard
3) CJ McCullum ( who is always weakest link on Blazers already weak defense )
4) Jrue Holiday, equipped with 6'7 wingspan and nose for defense

But if he is allegedly 6'2 in shoes, with already reported 6'3 -and half wingspan, he is still smaller than any of them.

Short term, for Orlando, he is backup, without any doubt he won't start single game as long as Fultz is funcional and running.
So in that second unit, depending is Okeke starting, you are already running into trubles.
There is rookie PG, rookie SF-PF, very raw and very lost on both ends -Bamba and whoever plays with SF-PF . And Ross.
Ross might take every shot bench unit takes

From start there is obvious lack of quality pick&roll action, bread and butter of every offense, and fans don't seem to understand why Bamba "looked" better in second than in rookie year. ( spoiler alert, he didn't have to play with Bricscoe and Grant but spent wohle year playing off DJ Augustin ) Bamba is only treat as pop option, and kind a terrible rolling big. In same time Cole Anthony flat out sucked as finisher around rim. So both guys in pick&roll action have same desire to - shoot and not go inside. That's trouble.


i just find it funny how people get exited about edited videos of players practicing over 5'5 coaches that don't contest their jumpshots. LIke, i watched Derick Rose pregame shootarounds where guy would bang 19 out of 20 threes and come in game and shot 1 for 6 every game. Or there would be video of Dante Exum beating chairs off dribble and he would get Kobe comparisons

He's also bigger than Kemba or CP3 and has a longer wingspan than Herro. He's the same size as Kyrie. So he has enough size to be a good player.

Kemba was a year older when drafted and shot below 40% 3 out of first 4 years.

Anthony will probably be as good as his shooting ends up being. Close to a 40% 3 pt shooter and he's a borderline allstar

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[thelead]

I've watched a ton of videos last night/this morning. This dude IS NOT a PG. Which is fine because Fultz is. The question is, can he score efficiently at the 2 alongside Fultz moving forward?

[Knightro]

I still think Okeke could lose 5-10 lbs and be a 3 & D SF. many draft reports compared him to Covington.

Convington doesn't really play SF anymore for what it's worth.

He's also listed at 209 lbs where Okeke is listed at 230.

Kawhi is 225, so is Paul George. Jimmy Butler is 230, Derozan is 220, Middleton 220+, Bojan 226, TJ Warren 220, Tobias 230.

like i said, lose 5-10 lbs.

You're hung up on the weight thing and not really considering the context.

Most of the guys you listed were all thinner when they were younger. They were guys who played full time on the wing as high school and college players and progressively *gained* some weight as they aged as most people tend to do.

Okeke was a big in college. He played like a big and not a wing. It's not nearly as easy of a transition as you're making it out to be.

[PrimeThyme]

Im still confused on who we shoulda drafted with how the draft shook out.

Again, I think it's more so that people wanted them to be proactive and move up. Haliburton, Vassell, and Nesmith were 3 players that people were really high on and they all went within 4 picks of where we drafted.

In a draft where we had been rumored to move up for weeks and without much consensus on where guys would go, the opportunity to do so was there. Multiple teams were rumored to be shopping their picks around that range.

It's no different than previous years where they were within a pick or two of players who would have changed things for us, but decided to stand pat. Even when trades ahead of them were being facilitated.

[VFX]

I've watched a ton of videos last night/this morning. This dude IS NOT a PG. Which is fine because Fultz is. The question is, can he score efficiently at the 2 alongside Fultz moving forward?

The bigger question is... can he guard wings?

The answer is unfortunately no. I can take that reality with a player that can catch + shoot at a high level, or be playmaking without the ball. Anthony does neither of those things either.