With the NBA Draft just a little more than two weeks out, Nuggets.com takes a look at 10 prospects who have been heavily-linked to the team through various mock drafts.
Is there a more polarizing player in this year’s draft than Cole Anthony?
Depending on the mock drafts and various reports out there, the former University of North Carolina point guard could be selected as high as No. 8 by his hometown Knicks or as low as No. 24 by the Milwaukee Bucks. In regard to pedigree, Anthony has it all.
He is the son of former NBA player Greg Anthony, a point guard who played in the league for 11 years. Cole Anthony was ranked as the No. 2 high school player in the country by ESPN heading into his freshman year as a Tar Heel.
Here is more about Anthony:
Age: 20
School: UNC
Grade: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 190 pounds
2019-20 Stats:
PPG: 18.5
RPG: 5.7
APG: 4.0
FG: 38.0
3PT: 34.8
PROFILE: Unfortunately, an up-and-down season and the lack of a run in the NCAA Tournament (due to COVID-19) hurt Anthony’s stock. According to reports, NBA teams are concerned about Anthony’s ability as a playmaker.
Still, under the right circumstances, Anthony could blossom. He is only 20 years old and the Nuggets’ patient approach has yielded success with similar prospects. Although Anthony struggled with consistency throughout the season, he was starting to round into form in March prior to March Madness being canceled. He was named the ACC Player of the Week on March 2 after he averaged 22 points, six assists and 3.5 boards in wins against NC State and Syracuse.
NBA Comparison: Mo Williams/Eric Gordon
What they’re saying:
Positives:
“Above average athleticism, he possesses solid speed, body dexterity, agility and quickness … Wired to score, and when at his best is capable of putting up points in a hurry, with the shot-making ability and ball skills to do damage at all 3 levels … Seems to be most comfortable and effective with the ball in his hands, is a natural creator.”
Negatives:
“For a lead guard, Anthony leaves something to be desired as a playmaker. Occasionally he made fundamentally sound reads and moved the ball where it needed to go but generally speaking he wasn't someone who put his teammates in great positions to score and some teams will definitely see him as more of an off guard or combo guard than a point. That would mean he goes from a player with positive size as a point guard to mildly undersized as a "two" and that could hurt his stock.”
- NBA.com