Cole Anthony Earns All-Rookie First-Team Honors

The Orlando Magic ended up with one of the steals of the draft when they were able to draft Cole Anthony after he fell out of the lottery on draft night. He is not only a player the Magic can build around for years to come, but is a guy who will fill the seats at the Amway Center. 

With how good Cole Anthony could potentially be, he may wind up being the best player the Orlando Magic have drafted since taking Dwight Howard 1st overall back in 2004. Anthony is a franchise-changing point guard and could have a major impact on the Magic for several reasons.

Whether it is being able to knock down a shot from anywhere on the court or be a playmaker and cause the defense to collapse on him, only to kick the ball out to his teammate for an open three-point shot, Cole Anthony’s offensive potential is as high as any player in this year’s draft class and should have no problem coming in and making a difference for the Magic immediately. 

Unlike at the college level, in the NBA, Anthony will be able to play a lot more one-on-one basketball, which he thrives in, and with not much attention coming his way early on in his career as a rookie, Cole Anthony could definitely be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year by the season’s end.

Whether it is scoring on his own or racking up assists, Cole Anthony really is a “do-it-all” type of point guard and with the team not re-signing D.J. Augustin this offseason, it opens the door for Cole Anthony to compete for the starting point guard role. 

Anthony will finish in the top-five in scoring for the Orlando Magic this season and will average about 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game, making him one of the top rookies of the 2020-21 NBA season. In a few years, this will be Cole Anthony’s team in Orlando and while they may not find success as a team immediately, he will set them up for success for years to come.