OKC Thunder: NBA Draft big board 2.0 – Top 30 prospects
By Rylan Stiles
Cole Anthony, G, UNC, 6’3, 190 pounds, 19 years old
If you have followed our draft coverage throughout the season you will know I have called Cole Anthony the Tyler Herro of this draft class. Remember the hype from OKC Thunder fans about Tyler Herro? Making NBA Mock Drafts that shoehorned him into a Thunder jersey, clamoring for him in illogical trade packages for Chris Paul, the fan base loved him.
Entering this season in North Carolina, I expected the fanbase to fall for Cole Anthony. That is not exactly how the season went, in fact far from it. Anthony went from the second prospect on my big board to the 10th and has fallen even further than that for others.
Not only did the Tar Heels have one of the worst seasons in recent memory, especially during the Roy Williams era, but Anthony dealt with a ton of adversity.
He picked up so many bumps and bruises throughout the season that a crowd mic picked up a sobering moment of Cole Anthony screaming ‘Why am I always getting hurt?’, and that was the theme of the entire season.
Related Story. The strange NBA Draft stock of Cole Anthony. light
The Carolina guard suffered set back after set back if it was not on the court, it was off it by dealing with injuries. Still, though, there is no denying his lottery level talent.
The point guard posted 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game at UNC while flashing high-level athleticism, hustle, and shooting.
The beauty with Anthony is he has a high floor, and a low ceiling. Sure, he is not going to dramatically change your franchise. However, at his best, I could see him being a fringe top ten point guard, and at worst he is one of the best backup PG’s in the league.
Anthony can scorch the bottom of the net from almost anywhere on the floor. You can tell his age just based on watching him play the game. He loves shooting the ball, deploying step-back jumpers, and twisting his body while in the act to draw any contact possible.
What made me peg him as the second-best prospect in this class before the season is the fact that he is not just a shooter, he has amazing skills at the rim to finish with touch and the aforementioned control. While I do like his ability to finish, I wonder how effective it will be within the trees of the NBA.
His lack of playmaking ability is concerning given how you would assume his 6’3 frame would be constricted to the point guard position.