Cole Anthony Scouting Report & Analysis

Cole Anthony's vitals:

Overview

OFFENSE

Initiating PG that scores at 3 levels. Great shooting form and has deep range on pullups and stepbacks from 3. Nice midrange pullup out of PNR. Only shot 34.8% from 3 at UNC, but his attempts were very difficult and Anthony is likely a better shooter than the numbers suggest. Unimpressive finisher at UNC but potential for improvement; UNC had extremely poor spacing, and Anthony flashed solid touch and efficiency. Good feel for drawing fouls. Right-hand-dominant driver and finisher. Developing a better left hand would create easier looks. Good transition passer and decent vision in half court, but generally not an anticipatory passer. Limited sample at UNC, but Anthony's shown promise as a movement shooter.

DEFENSE

Good team defender. Plays nail well, rotates hard, smart about taking charges. Opportunistic playing passing lanes and going for steals - makes play without gambling too much. Excellent at transition defense - sprints back, never gives up on play, good timing for deflections and drawing charges.

Struggles tracking shooters offball. Prone to ball watching. Over prioritizes stopping ball/containing drives.

Poor PNR defender. Gets caught on screens too easily, not consistently in stance. Good lateral quickness and quick hips - should help him get better at POA. Technique still improving for man defense but good quickness and strength. Limited by lack of length.

Projections

Best Case: Shoots high 30s% from 3 in NBA. Above-average efficiency on high volume and difficult shots. Strong scoring threat at all 3 levels. Average to slightly above-average finisher but gets to rim frequently due to threat of his jumpshot. Improved left hand helps Anthony get middle and create more looks. Draws lots of fouls. Not an incredible passer but learns to leverage threat of his scoring to create passing angles (à la Dame Lillard). Initiator for good NBA offense. Uses his offball shooting well and learns to fit in as a secondary creator when playing alongside a better initiator.

Very good team defender. Gets a lot of steals and deflections, draws many charges. Improves at tracking shooters offball. Strength and competitiveness enable him to guard up a position such that he doesn't always have to guard other team's initiator; let's his team defense play more. All-star/fringe all-star, 3rd-4th best player on championship team.

Most Likely: Slightly below-average efficiency on good volume. Efficient enough on pullups that teams chase him over the top. Opens up his driving and PNR game. Able to make decent reads, but not enough to power a strong offense. Average to slightly below-average finisher at rim. Midrange pullup keeps defense honest. Offball shooting helps him settle into secondary creator role on good teams.

Good team defense. Below average PNR and POA defense. Stuck in a rock-and-a-hard-place because he's better making plays off ball but is PG sized, so usually tasked with guarding initiators. Starter, 6th man on very good team.

Worst Case: Inefficient scorer at all 3 levels. Mediocre vision and decision making. Good offball shooter but spends too much time as primary initiator to capitalize on his offball shooting. Good team defender but prone to tracking shooters offball. Poor PNR and POA defender. Sparkplug off bench.

Physical Tools

• Above average first step and burst. Quick enough to get to spots against most defenders.

• Very good explosiveness. At 6'3 he can get up for dunks in traffic and blocks above the rim. But a two-foot jumper, somewhat limits utility of his leaping.

• Great strength. Can absorb multiple hits on his drives to the basket. On defense uses his strength to keep guys off their spots.

• Good lateral quickness, light on his feet. Lacks the lateral quickness of an elite defensive stopper. Lateral mobility would play better if Anthony consistently got in defensive stance.

• Flashes of shiftiness/change of direction ability. But overall needs to get better at moving side-to-side. Improved handle could help here.

• Very quick hands, gets lots of his steals through deflections. Reacts quickly with his arms and hands.

• Very good hip quickness - helps him change direction on defense.

• Excellent deceleration, particularly on defense. Stops quickly on closeouts. Good balance.

• Compact frame and very strong. Currently 6'3 190lbs. Could possibly add a few more pounds without sacrificing quickness.But his frame looks close to a finished product.

• Average to slightly above average height for NBA point guard - listed at 6'3 in shoes.

• Looks a little smaller than 6'3 on the court. Negligible length: 6'4.5 wingspan; 7'11 standing reach.

Has all the physical tools an NBA point guard needs to succeed. Not elite quickness/burst/explosiveness, but very good. His strength is his outlier good physical skill. Good physical tools for defense. Relative lack of length and poor shiftiness are his worse physical tools.

Motor, Mentality, Intangibles

• Plays very hard on both ends. Great motor. Sprints back on defense. Tries to draw charges. Plays team defense. Competes with bigs on the defensive glass. Dives on floor. Highly touted recruit, but doesn't play "entitled."

• Averaged 35 minutes a game and played hard on both ends. Very strong competitor.

• Often tries to do too much. Takes wild shots, forces drives, turns it over too much. Must improve decision making.

• Appeared to be an encouraging teammate for the most part. Sometimes exhibited an understandable reluctance to pass to overmatched teammates like Andrew Platek.

• Anthony's been the primary creator his whole life. Would he accept a secondary-creator role in the NBA? Would he embrace a Fred VanVleet-type role?

Motor and intangibles are great. Reputation as a hard worker. Seems like the kind of player to bet on. Can he improve his decision making and play more under control? Can he accept a smaller role?

Finishing

• Shot 53.6% at rim. Poor percentage. But still reasons for optimism wrt his finishing.

• UNC, even for a college team, had incredibly poor floor spacing; Anthony usually had to finish over multiple defenders. Anthony was the only good initiator on his team, created 91.9% of his looks at the basket for himself.

• Good job using his strength and burst to get shots off around the basket. Good hangtime off two feet and can absorb hits.

• Generally drives hard. Seeks contact. Drew fouls at a decent clip (37.1% FTA/FGA).

• Relied on right hand for finishing, reluctant to use left.

• Needs better craft as a finisher: must make better use of his body and the rim to shield defenders.

• Inconsistent floater and runner game. Sometimes his touch looks soft, other times he had ugly clanks off the backboard.

• Bad habit of fading away from basket into tough baseline runner when a defender stays attached to his hip on drive. Needs a better option.

• Wants to drive right. When he starts driving right, he almost never goes back left. If he starts left, he has better ability to change direction and go right. Flashes of left hand driving - needs more.

• In general, more "shake" to his game would help his driving and finishing. Has good deceleration ability on defense, but doesn't decelerate on his drives - comes at rim full speed. Should learn to eurostep, hesitate, etc. Would make his looks at the rim easier.

• Two-foot leaping in traffic limits ways he can get his shot off. For now, loves to hop step around the basket.

• Small flashes of effective post-up play. Strength, toughness, and knack for foul-drawing play well here. Post-up could be a nice surprise option when guarded by a smaller defender.

Has good physical tools for finishing (strength, explosiveness) and seeks out contact, but still struggled as a finisher this season. Limited by: poor team context, lack of craft, lack of left hand, two-foot leaper, some lack of touch, and lack of shiftiness.

Anthony goes left along the baseline and spins into paint. Notice 1) looking to get to right hand; 2) two-foot leaper; 3) physicality, drawing foul.

Anthony makes tough runner off glass with right hand. Look how he lets himself get forced away from basket instead of getting to middle.

Shooting

• 34.8% 3pt shooter at UNC. Anthony is a better shooter than the numbers indicate.

• Took 6.4 3s a game and only 53.1% were assisted.

• Anthony took a lot of difficult 3s. Pullups, stepbacks from beyond NBA range.

• Tons of confidence in his shot - will pull from anywhere.

• Anthony's mechanics are good. He gets on balance quickly and always gets his legs into his shot. Gives his shot a lot of versatility. Generates a lot of power even on step backs.

• UNC barely ran off-ball action for Anthony, but he looked good as a movement shooter. Movement shooting will increase his versatility and scaleability in NBA.

• Good midrange pullup game. Really good around the elbows/free-throw line area. Likes going to midrange out of PNR.

• 33.3% FG on 2pt jumpers. Bad tendency to settle for tough stepbacks along baseline. Percentages would look better if he cut those shots.

• Only 75% free throw shooter. Anomaly? Better highschool shooter.

Only looking at Anthony's percentages from UNC undersells his shooting ability. I combined his stats from his senior year of high school and two summers (2017, 2018) on the EYBL circuit: Anthony shot 84.3% on 606 attempts from the free-throw line and 36% on 458 attempts from the 3pt line. His form looks good and he takes a lot of difficult attempts. Anthony likely shoots well in NBA - will force teams to go over in PNR, chase him off screens.

Smooth stepback 3. Really good job of keeping his balancing and generating power with his legs.

Jab steps defender and pulls 3 in his face, this time from right wing. Took a lot of tough shots.

Handle

• More comfortable going right. When he goes left he wants to get back to the right. When he starts going right he's reluctant to go left.

• Shows strong flashes with his left but needs to use it consistently.

• Handle is best when he's starting his drive - when he's setting guys up in the PNR or breaking his defender down off the dribble. Strings together dribbling sequences. Likes a left in-out dribble into left-to-right crossover, has other moves he can do in sequence like behind-the-backs, between-the-legs, etc.

• Anthony's handle compliments his shooting. Goes from dribble to shooting motion quickly.

• Handle looks worse after his initial move. Has a tendency to get loose and high with dribble, particularly as he gets into lane. Might be susceptible to digs in the NBA.

• I want more"shake" in his handle. Once he gets going right he's not usually looking to get to left, which makes him predictable. He's shown flashes, but more side-to-side ability would help him get separation and get into paint

His handle is promising, but definitely not above-average for an NBA point guard. Needs to use his left consistently and develop more shake and horizontal movement. His handle is good for gaining initial separation, also helps him get into his shot quickly.

Defenses are forcing him left. Look how he gets loose with his handle going left. Notice also the lack of spacing. 5 defenders in paint as he drives. Teammates don't get guarded.

Passing

• Generally a reactive passer - not an anticipatory passer.

• Hits the drive-and-kick passes, but does so inconsistently. Sometimes gets blinders on his drives. But his teammates were not good, and Anthony appeared visibly reluctant to pass to teammates like Andrew Platek. Team-specific problem? Or lack of vision?

• Better passing with his right hand then his left. Strong with right hand - can pass off live dribble, hit weakside, etc.

• Excellent transition passer. Always has head up, looks to push ball ahead and find teammates. Throws turnover-worthy passes but definitely adds value with transition passing. His transition passing plays especially well because Anthony is an excellent defensive rebounder.

• Doesn't usually make advanced reads. Doesn't manipulate defenses or use his eyes to get teammates open. Occasionally shows good vision with nice read to the weakside.

• Ok touch on lob passes. Sometimes throws them too high for his bigs.

• Shows flashes of making quick reads - if he sees something he throws the pass immediately with right hand, which helps keep passing windows open.

Overall, not a natural passer. The hope is that his scoring ability will open passing opportunities for him.

Great vision and a very quick read here.

Nice transition look here. Notice the right-handed passing ability

The better pass here is to Platek in weakside. Did Anthony not see it? Or does he distrust Platek.

Pick and Roll Offense

• Showed some creativity in PNR, was good at splitting PNR and rejecting screens. Needs to consistently use these moves. Too willing to settle for going right and letting himself get pushed away from middle. Gets stuck on one side of the court too often (snaking the PNR more would help).

• Saw a lot of ICE coverage, which he handled well. Good at hitting the POP pass. This will play better with better teammates in NBA.

• Made some pocket passes out of PNR, but crowded paint meant limited room for roll men.

• If he gets middle, he's good in the midrange. Nice shot pulling up at elbows and free throw line.

• Needs to develop more patience and craft in the PNR. I want to see more screen/re-screen action from him. He usually forces whatever move he goes for first.

• Not a maestro, not manipulating the entire defense, but can make basic reads. Inconsistent about hitting weakside corner, but showed flashes. Has the arm strength to make the pass.

• Doesn't always make good decisions, but he at least makes decisive decisions - if he sees the pass he sees it quickly.

Decent PNR player with a lot of good tools to work with. His pullup should force teams to go over, which will let him use his athleticism and get into paint. Good in the midrange if teams drop big. Can make basic reads like weakside, pocket pass, pop, etc., but it's unlikely that Anthony ever makes advanced reads out of the PNR or gets really good at manipulating the defense.

Great play here splitting PNR (notice the crossover) and then hitting teammate Garrison Brooks with the lob.

Creation, Feel, IQ

• Isolation ability will depend on how lethal his pullup and stepback become. Not such a great athlete and dribbler that he can break down the best defenders off the dribble. But should be able to get to stepback or pullup when he wants to.

• Creates a lot of space on his stepbacks, both from 3 and from the midrange. Very difficult to guard.

• Offensive IQ and feel looked poor. Forced bad shots, dribbled into crowds, missed passes to teammates.

• In highschool, with comparatively better teammates, Anthony's decision-making looked better, but he still had a tendency to force low percentage shots.

• Anthony initiated everything for UNC (30.0% usage rate), and UNC generally ran uncreative sets for Anthony. I want to see Anthony unlocked off ball, run him through screens, use him as a screener, etc.

Anthony was an inefficient offensive initiator at UN, but he has a chance to be a better initiator in the NBA. His efficiency will be tied to his shot-making. Can he shoot a high percentage on pullups and stepbacks? Improvements in his handle will make it easier to get into the lane and setup teammates. Anthony's feel and offensive IQ appear underwhelming, but it's difficult to say how much of that should be attributed to lack of spacing and talented teammates at UNC. Given the numerous question marks, Anthony appears best suited to be a secondary creator on a very good team.

Team Defense, Defensive Awareness

• Good team defender. Understands his responsibilities and how team defense works. Helps generously off his man.

• Aggressive as weakside tagger and playing the nail.

• Makes plays. Goes after steals, deflections. But not a "reckless" defender.

• Plays with his hands out and/or up, looking to make a play.

• Biggest weakness is late rotations to shooters once the ball starts swinging. Sometimes over-prioritizes defending against drives. Needs to guard shooters in the NBA.

• Processes plays quickly, usually timely on his rotations (again, struggles with getting out to shooters).

• Good timing for taking charges.

• Excellent transition defender. Gets back, tries hard to make plays.

• Tries hard as a rim protector. Will contest shots, draw charges. Not afraid to mix it up.

• Sometimes loses track of his man. Generally keeps head on swivel, but guilty of ball watching.

• Excellent defensive rebounder. Always comes down to rebound. Doesn't box out, but is excellent at highpointing the ball in traffic. Adds a lot of value here (his rebouding pairs well with his transition passing).

Anthony projects as a good team defender. He plays hard and has better defensive effort than most highly touted guard prospects. Good feel for team concepts and for defending as a team. Must get better at rotating to and tracking shooter.

This transition block is one of my favorite plays from any prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft. Great explosiveness and competitiveness. Again, notice that Anthony is a two-foot leaper.

Pick and Roll Defense

• Inconsistent PNR defender. Needs to get better.

• Communication issues with Anthony and his big. Not consistently executing same coverage, sometimes it looked like Anthony was getting ready to switch and big was getting ready to hedge, etc.

• Not good at getting through screens - lets himself get screened too easily. Must improve at jumping into man to avoid screen or commit to going under. Must improve at "feeling" screens. Often looks unprepared for them. Has the quickness to get over screen, needs the technique and mental focus.

• Does a good job of getting back into play after he's been screened off. Uses his physicality to bother offensive player form behind.

• Struggles to stay in front at POA against quick players (as do most defenders). Anthony needs a good defensive system to work within. Not a 1-on-1 stopper.

• Footwork needs improvement. Needs to stay in stance and be ready to slide. Breaks stance and has to sprint too often.

• Quick hips and light feet. Has enough physical tools to be a decent PNR defender.

Anthony's PNR defense is his most significant defensive weakness. As a point guard, he will have to defend lots of PNR ballhandlers. He has the physical tools to be decent, but the technique and mental focus must improve.

Anthony gets stuck going under screen and is too late getting back to Oregon player Payton Pritchard. Anthony and his big, Armando Bacot, aren't on same page.

Closeouts

• Good closeout defender.

• Excellent deceleration, and he's quick laterally out of his deceleration. Needs to get better at using short, choppy steps, but Anthony is gifted enough to stop quickly and keep the offensive player in front even without great technique.

• Biggest weakness is his relatively short wingspan (6'4.5). This will force him to close out hard to shooters.

• Must get better at offball defense to capitalize on his closeout skills.

Off Ball Defense

• Loses track of his man offball because he's over focused on team defense.

• Doesn't relax so much as he gets caught ball watching and loses track of his man.

• Too often Anthony's man would get open for a 3 or back cut Anthony.

• Anthony's shown some propensity to fight through screens to keep track of his man, but needs a more consistent approach.

• Gets hit by screens too easily. Has to learn to get low and skinny.

• Keeps his arms out, which is good.

Another defensive weakness. This needs to improve in the NBA - can't give up open 3s.

On Ball Defense

• Generally plays with hands up and out. Makes passing difficult on ballhandlers.

• Physical defender, uses his strength to bother offensive players. Pushes offensive players off their spots, bumps them from behind.

• Light on feet and quick hips. But not lightning quick. Good - not all-world.

• Good lateral mobility but needs to get better at consistently staying in stance. Not always ready to slide laterally. Breaks stance more than is ideal.

• Does't quite mirror offensive players, but Anthony is able to stay in front of them.

• Very good deceleration ability, helps him stay attached to offensive players.

• Generally smart about not biting for fakes.

• Limited length. Offensive players will be able to shoot over him in NBA.

• Strength, physicality, and competitiveness give him hope of switchability but he's limited by his lack of length.

No chance staying in front of Alabama's speedster Kira Lewis. Needs to recognize that Lewis is quicker than him and take a more conservative defensive approach.

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