The official OKC Thunder Big board 1.0
By Rylan Stiles
2) Cole Anthony, PG/SG, North Carolina
Cole Anthony is a 6’3 guard who could pass as a shooting guard in the college game at 185 pounds but in the association will probably be labeled a true point guard. Anthony was ESPN’s second-ranked player in the 2019 class and almost immediately signed with North Carolina before any other blue bloods got in on the biding.
The likelihood Anthony leaves school after a year is again a 10 out of10, given the fact that his ceiling is the number one overall pick and the nation’s most talented player. Anthony is exactly the player head coach Roy Williams will love, and while Coby White dazzled with his big floppy hair and is off to a hot start with the Bulls this season, I expect Anthony to be much better than the herky-jerky ball-handler and strict bucket getter.
Cole Anthony has the pedigree being the son of a former NBA player Greg Anthony who spent a year in Seattle with the Sonics (1997-98). Cole Anthony has all the athleticism and explosiveness necessary to get to the rim and score, blowing past the defense to do so. However, unlike White, Anthony has incredible playmaking ability with his vision and passing skill he is the complete player.
While having that playmaking ability and the ability to create for others, at times he gets caught up in his own world being more of an iso heavy player. Some of that might have been the talent around him in high school both defensively and offensively. His mindset should be totally different in college basketball’s toughest conference compared to being “the guy” at the high school ranks. The main key is that he has the tools to be a phenomenal playmaker.
Anthony is a three-level scorer and a perfect fit for the modern NBA. In fact, he takes home this month’s Tyler Herro award. Now, if you think back to last year’s NBA Draft coverage on this site we were absolutely in love with the sharpshooting Herro and tried to find every situation possible that he could fall to the Thunder. He was the guy almost everyone in the Thunder fanbase wanted. Now, the Thunder are in the driver’s seat for a top prospect, not really needing them to fall to the team, just for ping pong balls to bounce the right way.
Why is Cole Anthony this month’s Tyler Herro award? Well, read his scouting report again. A great scorer and playmaker that can fit perfectly alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is used to playing with fellow ball handlers which he has done his entire career. Anthony is a difference-maker and a franchise-changing player. Pairing him with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would set the OKC Thunder up with a very bright future.
Unlike Wiseman, fans will have plenty of time to watch Cole Anthony take on other top prospects. North Carolina will play Iowa State in the Battle 4 Atlantis if both schools advance to the second round on Nov. 28th, Virginia on Dec. 8th, a Cavs team that is known for their defense slowing down explosive guards and forcing them to change their pace of play. How will Anthony react?
The two teams also meet on Feb. 15th. Not to mention meetings with Gonzaga (Dec. 18th,) Pittsburgh (Jan. 8th and 18th) and of course, their annual two matchups with arch-rival and top 60 prospects littered Duke (Feb. 8th and Mar. 7th) with other key matchups sprinkled in along the way.