JojoSlimbiid wrote:Not gonna lie I stopped watching a few games ago and it was mostly because of Cole. He seemed like the worst rotational player in the league and still might be.....but I'll be damn if I'm not happy the kid made that shot and had a game like that. The shot was on point yesterday and I hope it gives him some confidence. His defense is better than expected but everything else has been bad....all that can change if the jumper starts falling.
A lot of rookies just really suck, especially early in their rookie year when they are overwhelmed with the size, speed, athleticism adjustment.
Here are some of Anthony's peers.
Edwards: .359 FG, .275 3PT
Hayes: .277 FG, .250 3PT
Maledon: .381 FG, .298 3PT
Nesmith: .217 FG%, .188 3PT
Okoro: .397 FG%, .333 3PT
A lot of people have been falling over themselves over Tyrese Maxey, but even that kid is 2-15 from three since that monster game he had on Jan 9th and is down to 27% from three for the year.
There's gonna be a lot of ups and downs for a lot of these guys. Anthony wasn't even a lottery pick. He's gonna have a lot of variance in his play night to night. All we can hope for is gradual improvement as he gets more experience.
Here's a play he did last night that actually encouraged me.
Now don't get me wrong. This is NOT the most efficient shot in the world. A midrange jumper, even a short one like this, isn't the best shot for the offense.
But it still was a sign of growth to me. A week ago, this would have been an awkward, forced floater off one foot that Cole would almost certainly have missed.
A very little thing in the grand scheme of things, but hopefully a sign of Cole starting to figure out where he can and can't have success.