Cole World: Orlando Magic Select Cole Anthony at #15

[zaymon]

I try to support our young players in most cases, but i think i'm more on pepe's site here. I liked a lot about Cole in those preseason games & some stuff Chuma showed, but both doesnt showed me anything, that they can change the fate of this franchise in the future. I dont see any future impact player, like i saw in Isaac in his first game already.
Cole was more effective & had better shot selection (no surprise, wasnt really worried about that on a vet team) & Chuma showed potential of a 40%+ 3Point shooting big, with good passing skills.
But both scream roleplayers for me & to be honest, role players coming from the bench. Chuma seems to be a 4 only & i have my doubt he got the length, rebounding & athletism to be a 30 min or more starter @ pf.

Cole is the typical one dimensional undersized scorer, who doesnt do anything else good. He probably needs to shoot at almost elite efficiency his whole career, not to be a negative on the court. He won't make anyone around him better & he gonna be a defensive liability. Sure he can become Lou Williams, but Lou Williams doesnt excite me at all in our situation.

Nothing against those Kids, they are probably good to very good value for the postion they were drafted. But they doesnt change anything about the outlook of this franchise for me. I will root for them for sure & hope they prove me wrong.

This is more about our situation than the rookies. If we were a good team, i would be excited about the guys. Adding cheap good roleplayers.

Cole is bigger, more athletic and better shooter than Williams, also better passer, rebounder, defender. I think better comparison is Gilbert Arenas like ceiling. Thats a starter.

If Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari are good enough rebounders to play 4 why Okeke is not ? He is bigger and longer than Harris.

[Knightro]

It’s obviously really early, but based on what I’ve seen of Anthony in the preseason he’s needs a couple of specific things to happen for him to be a starter in the NBA.

1. He has to be a really good shooter from all levels. Guys *can* be starters as a 6’2” SG, but anyone who does really has to be a deadeye shooter to make up for the fact they aren’t going to give you a ton as a passer/playmaker.

I’m actually more confident Cole will be to become a high end shooter than I am he’ll ever develop into a capable point guard because he’s a gym rat and you can relentlessly drill your jumper. Developing playmaking skills is a lot more of a natural feel thing that you can’t really spend an off-season in a gym overhauling.

2. He has to be paired with a PG capable of guarding 2s. It didn’t show up in terms of results as he graded out very poorly, but Anthony at least showed pretty good effort defensively in the preseason. But effort or not, it’s going to be difficult to him to defend most 2s capably at his size and wingspan. He’ll need to be paired with a PG who can get others involved offensively, but also cross match defensively.

[GelbeWand09]

I try to support our young players in most cases, but i think i'm more on pepe's site here. I liked a lot about Cole in those preseason games & some stuff Chuma showed, but both doesnt showed me anything, that they can change the fate of this franchise in the future. I dont see any future impact player, like i saw in Isaac in his first game already.
Cole was more effective & had better shot selection (no surprise, wasnt really worried about that on a vet team) & Chuma showed potential of a 40%+ 3Point shooting big, with good passing skills.
But both scream roleplayers for me & to be honest, role players coming from the bench. Chuma seems to be a 4 only & i have my doubt he got the length, rebounding & athletism to be a 30 min or more starter @ pf.

Cole is the typical one dimensional undersized scorer, who doesnt do anything else good. He probably needs to shoot at almost elite efficiency his whole career, not to be a negative on the court. He won't make anyone around him better & he gonna be a defensive liability. Sure he can become Lou Williams, but Lou Williams doesnt excite me at all in our situation.

Nothing against those Kids, they are probably good to very good value for the postion they were drafted. But they doesnt change anything about the outlook of this franchise for me. I will root for them for sure & hope they prove me wrong.

This is more about our situation than the rookies. If we were a good team, i would be excited about the guys. Adding cheap good roleplayers.

Cole is bigger, more athletic and better shooter than Williams, also better passer, rebounder, defender. I think better comparison is Gilbert Arenas like ceiling. Thats a starter.

If Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari are good enough rebounders to play 4 why Okeke is not ? He is bigger and longer than Harris.

Hmmmm Arenas. There are some similarities yea & Cole seems to have the same attitude & ship on his shoulder, but Arenas was super strong. He averaged around 9-10 fta in his prime. When he drove to the basket, Center bounced off of him & he was a high volume (especially for the era) 3 Point shooter. Like Knightro wrote, if he becomes a effective high volume 3p shooter & draws fouls at a super high clip, he can be a very good player.
But this is a lot to ask for.

[tiderulz]

I try to support our young players in most cases, but i think i'm more on pepe's site here. I liked a lot about Cole in those preseason games & some stuff Chuma showed, but both doesnt showed me anything, that they can change the fate of this franchise in the future. I dont see any future impact player, like i saw in Isaac in his first game already.
Cole was more effective & had better shot selection (no surprise, wasnt really worried about that on a vet team) & Chuma showed potential of a 40%+ 3Point shooting big, with good passing skills.
But both scream roleplayers for me & to be honest, role players coming from the bench. Chuma seems to be a 4 only & i have my doubt he got the length, rebounding & athletism to be a 30 min or more starter @ pf.

Cole is the typical one dimensional undersized scorer, who doesnt do anything else good. He probably needs to shoot at almost elite efficiency his whole career, not to be a negative on the court. He won't make anyone around him better & he gonna be a defensive liability. Sure he can become Lou Williams, but Lou Williams doesnt excite me at all in our situation.

Nothing against those Kids, they are probably good to very good value for the postion they were drafted. But they doesnt change anything about the outlook of this franchise for me. I will root for them for sure & hope they prove me wrong.

This is more about our situation than the rookies. If we were a good team, i would be excited about the guys. Adding cheap good roleplayers.

Cole is bigger, more athletic and better shooter than Williams, also better passer, rebounder, defender. I think better comparison is Gilbert Arenas like ceiling. Thats a starter.

If Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari are good enough rebounders to play 4 why Okeke is not ? He is bigger and longer than Harris.

Hmmmm Arenas. There are some similarities yea & Cole seems to have the same attitude & ship on his shoulder, but Arenas was super strong. He averaged around 9-10 fta in his prime. When he drove to the basket, Center bounced off of him & he was a high volume (especially for the era) 3 Point shooter. Like Knightro wrote, if he becomes a effective high volume 3p shooter & draws fouls at a super high clip, he can be a very good player.
But this is a lot to ask for.

how about we just wait to see what he can develop into before deciding what he "has" to do. If anyone looked at Jimmy Butler, he didnt even play 10 mpg his rookie year, shot 18% from 3. Can he be as impactful as Butler? likely no. but thats the nice thing, we have him on his rookie deal for 4 years. Lets give him a chance to see how he turns out. this isnt a 4 yr college guy where we have a decent track record to see what and how he improved. He had 1 injury year. I like what i see so far, even if in preseason, and want to see what he looks like and more importantly how he is used his rookie year.

[fendilim]

Cole is bigger, more athletic and better shooter than Williams, also better passer, rebounder, defender. I think better comparison is Gilbert Arenas like ceiling. Thats a starter.

If Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari are good enough rebounders to play 4 why Okeke is not ? He is bigger and longer than Harris.

Hmmmm Arenas. There are some similarities yea & Cole seems to have the same attitude & ship on his shoulder, but Arenas was super strong. He averaged around 9-10 fta in his prime. When he drove to the basket, Center bounced off of him & he was a high volume (especially for the era) 3 Point shooter. Like Knightro wrote, if he becomes a effective high volume 3p shooter & draws fouls at a super high clip, he can be a very good player.
But this is a lot to ask for.

how about we just wait to see what he can develop into before deciding what he "has" to do. If anyone looked at Jimmy Butler, he didnt even play 10 mpg his rookie year, shot 18% from 3. Can he be as impactful as Butler? likely no. but thats the nice thing, we have him on his rookie deal for 4 years. Lets give him a chance to see how he turns out. this isnt a 4 yr college guy where we have a decent track record to see what and how he improved. He had 1 injury year. I like what i see so far, even if in preseason, and want to see what he looks like and more importantly how he is used his rookie year.

True,, and cole does seem to have the base skill to be a good player.

[Optimus_Steel]

Cole reminds me of Vanvleet.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I was thinking about that, a more athletic Vanfleet.

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[zaymon]

Hmmmm Arenas. There are some similarities yea & Cole seems to have the same attitude & ship on his shoulder, but Arenas was super strong. He averaged around 9-10 fta in his prime. When he drove to the basket, Center bounced off of him & he was a high volume (especially for the era) 3 Point shooter. Like Knightro wrote, if he becomes a effective high volume 3p shooter & draws fouls at a super high clip, he can be a very good player.
But this is a lot to ask for.

how about we just wait to see what he can develop into before deciding what he "has" to do. If anyone looked at Jimmy Butler, he didnt even play 10 mpg his rookie year, shot 18% from 3. Can he be as impactful as Butler? likely no. but thats the nice thing, we have him on his rookie deal for 4 years. Lets give him a chance to see how he turns out. this isnt a 4 yr college guy where we have a decent track record to see what and how he improved. He had 1 injury year. I like what i see so far, even if in preseason, and want to see what he looks like and more importantly how he is used his rookie year.

True,, and cole does seem to have the base skill to be a good player.

Its not even about Cole, its about archetype. I think this archetype can be successful. I agree about strentgh, its important, but Cole seems to have fairly strong frame. A lot will depend on his willingness to move without the ball and watching a lot of film becouse he is not natural passer (not bad but not great either).

[thelead]

Chuma has been meh IMO. Maybe a rotation player but seems like the typical mid round pick that may or may turn into a serviceable player.

Those of you doubting Cole can stay off the bandwagon. He looks like he will be able to provide DJ's shooting off the bench all while being able to attack more efficiently without dribbling the air out of the ball. If that's all he is, that's great for the 15th pick and I'll take that all day considering his age and contract. He honestly seems like he has the potential to be a starter as well so I'm not sure what people are expecting out of that draft spot.

[BadMofoPimp]

It’s obviously really early, but based on what I’ve seen of Anthony in the preseason he’s needs a couple of specific things to happen for him to be a starter in the NBA.

1. He has to be a really good shooter from all levels. Guys *can* be starters as a 6’2” SG, but anyone who does really has to be a deadeye shooter to make up for the fact they aren’t going to give you a ton as a passer/playmaker.

I’m actually more confident Cole will be to become a high end shooter than I am he’ll ever develop into a capable point guard because he’s a gym rat and you can relentlessly drill your jumper. Developing playmaking skills is a lot more of a natural feel thing that you can’t really spend an off-season in a gym overhauling.

2. He has to be paired with a PG capable of guarding 2s. It didn’t show up in terms of results as he graded out very poorly, but Anthony at least showed pretty good effort defensively in the preseason. But effort or not, it’s going to be difficult to him to defend most 2s capably at his size and wingspan. He’ll need to be paired with a PG who can get others involved offensively, but also cross match defensively.

He may even have a higher ceiling than Ross or Fournier at the 2 while still being a 2nd ball handler on the court. Whats not to like about that situation.

[pepe1991]

Chuma has been meh IMO. Maybe a rotation player but seems like the typical mid round pick that may or may turn into a serviceable player.

Those of you doubting Cole can stay off the bandwagon. He looks like he will be able to provide DJ's shooting off the bench all while being able to attack more efficiently without dribbling the air out of the ball. If that's all he is, that's great for the 15th pick and I'll take that all day considering his age and contract. He honestly seems like he has the potential to be a starter as well so I'm not sure what people are expecting out of that draft spot.

Calling Okeke mid first round pick is bit of a streach.

I went to check every single mock draft page that is not runned by idiots and there are results:
draft room 31st pick
draft net -- 33rd pick

and other pages like Cbs sports and Forbes, right before draft, aslo did not have him in first round. Granted, some of it is because of injury, but let's be real, nobody really expected him to be drafted before, as early as 22-maybe 25 pick range.

Much like it was case with Bamba, there was no objective need to draft PF.

Since Okeke is already 22, he is very close to be finished product. And that product is -very low usage spot up PF.

I had higher expetations for Okeke, talked myself into stupidity of "valuable college player" who as one and done project would not be drafted even if 10 rounds of draft were played out.
Cole played solid in preseason, but it's still just preseason, and it's just against some very poorly runned second units. (hawks having no Dunn or Rondo, Hornets starting Graham who will probably now be backup PG with Hayward in rotation)
Issue with him is archetype of player he belongs. Shoot first small guard. Vast majority of players with that atributes end up being bench players and can easly be signed every single year in free agency.

Was he drafted because he provides team doesn't have ? Maybe some shot creation, but with Fultz in place, they never drafted him with intentions to let Cole outplay him for starting spot, and in same time they don't look like good fits. Fultz defense has been bad from day one, Cole is flat out too small to guard SGs, and Fultz is kind a lazy to run around screens to chase SGs as well, so they will probably never play together on serious team anyway.

Esencially Magic used 2019 and 2020 draft to draft bench players with very little hope of ever starting. Why team that is desparate for talent is not swining for fences more is beyond me.

[SOUL]

It's just preseason but you proclaimed that neither will be a starter and Chuma is a finished product. Interesting...

[Def Swami]

I do not care what any of you say, Cole Anthony is my favorite player to watch on the Magic.

[Def Swami]

Read on Twitter

[RookieStar]

Read on Twitter

So... uhhhh? Which Magic player did that? I thought qt first it was Cole but the pic profile is JI?

[SOUL]

Read on Twitter

So... uhhhh? Which Magic player did that? I thought qt first it was Cole but the pic profile is JI?

Why would it matter what his profile pic is lol

But yeah, it was Cole.

[RookieStar]

Read on Twitter

So... uhhhh? Which Magic player did that? I thought qt first it was Cole but the pic profile is JI?

Why would it matter what his profile pic is lol

But yeah, it was Cole.

[RookieStar]

Read on Twitter

So... uhhhh? Which Magic player did that? I thought qt first it was Cole but the pic profile is JI?

Why would it matter what his profile pic is lol

But yeah, it was Cole.

Well.. unless he has some massive man-love with JI and Fultz ( insert Seinfeld's NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT )... but yeah you can put anything in your profile pic.

[richi_v25]

Just read Cole led all rookies in scoring during the preseason with 55 total points, the next closest player had 45. So far so good especially since he had a rough start. Come on rookie of the year...

[CZ Eddie]

Just read Cole led all rookies in scoring during the preseason with 55 total points, the next closest player had 45. So far so good especially since he had a rough start. Come on rookie of the year...

And the 45 point player played a bunch more minutes than Cole.

[pepe1991]

It's just preseason but you proclaimed that neither will be a starter and Chuma is a finished product. Interesting...

Ugh

so guy spent 2 years at colleege, just like NAW, just like NAW he was mediocre freshman who gained no interest to become one and done prospect.
In his second year, naturally, he was much better, just like NAW.

That "much better" still was role palyer -ish role as he only averaged 12 ppg and 6,8 rpg in 29 mpg.
Very similar production to NAW and his college career.

Days before draft every single serious draft mocks have him be second round pick.

Magic draft him in middle of first round, because, reasons.

Guy has ACL tear before draft, missed almost 2 years of basketball.

And now, 10 days away from 2021, he is 22 years old rookie who on his best day was average college player- two years ago.


On top of that he is drafted by team that 2 of 4 best players play PF spot. So where execlly he will get his starting job from? Will he outplay Isaac ? I guarantee that won' happen.
And he really does not have skills to play SF so him being worst than Isaac ( and they are like 10 months difference anyway) is enough to come with conclusion he won't be starter.

What makes you think Okeke is not finished product?
Even at college he wasn't best athlete.
it's a given he is tweener.
He shot only 40% around rim at college.
He shot 4-24 (16,7% ) from pullups at college.

He is good at low usage 3 point shooting... And that's pretty much it. In two years at college, he made 89 threes, at averege got to FT line once a game.

Overall some teams can get away with defensive PF who does nothing else but shoot open 3s. Mostly teams with superstar wing/guard ( or both). But Magic have way superior Isaac at that same position, limited at same things. It's impossible to slot 2 wings that don't do anything off dribble for you and can't really engage offense on their own.

Let's not even engage "he might be SF" conversation. Next time he attacks off dribble will be his first.