Anthony set a new career high with 81 regular-season games played in 2023-24, surpassing his previous high of 65 appearances during his sophomore season in 2021-22. Amidst the increased games played, Anthony saw reductions in his minutes, points, rebounds, assists and three-pointers made per game compared to the previous two seasons. Nonetheless, he remained a critical piece for the Magic's young core as they put together an impressive season, finishing fifth place in the East. Anthony averaged the team's sixth-most minutes per game and led the team in games played during the 2023-24 campaign. His regular season was highlighted by several impressive performances, including a season-high 30 points on 9-for-16 shooting in a home win over the Hornets in November. Anthony had 21 outings with more than 15 points. He also had two double-doubles with points and rebounds and logged more than five assists on 12 occasions. Regular season and playoffs combined, Anthony recorded 21 games with zero turnovers, averaging 9.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.9 minutes over those games. Looking ahead, he is set to remain the leader of the second unit, playing a key bench role for the emerging squad. Anthony has room for improvement with his shooting efficiency but has shown he can help close games when hot from the field. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $26 million contract extension with the Magic in October of 2023. Contract includes $13.1 million team option for 2026-27.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Anthony was born in Portland, Oregon on May 15, 2000. He's the son of Crystal McCrary and Greg Anthony. Greg won an NCAA title with UNLV in 1990 and was an 11-year NBA veteran. As a child, Cole moved to New York City. Anthony originally played baseball but decided to focus on basketball in fifth grade. He lived in New York City through his junior year of high school before transferring to Oak Hill. During Anthony's freshman and sophomore years at Archbishop Molloy, he excelled and led his team to the CHSAA Class AA city championship finals. As a junior, Anthony averaged a league-high 23.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game and was named to the USA Today All-USA third team. At Oak Hill as a senior, Anthony averaged 18.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game and became the first player in school history to average a triple-double. Anthony was voted onto the 2019 USA Today All-USA first team. Anthony also won MVP at the 2019 McDonald's All-American Game, the Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic. After the 2018-19 high school basketball season, Anthony was named the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year for success in both basketball and academics. As a freshman at North Carolina, he was named to third-team All-ACC despite missing 11 games and averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per college contest. Anthony came to North Carolina with an outstanding recruiting pedigree, and the 6-3 guard put that on display immediately, recording 34 points and 11 rebounds in the season opener against Notre Dame. He proceeded to reach double figures in seven of his next eight games, collecting 10 rebounds twice more over that span. Anthony then suffered a knee injury that cost him 11 games, but he returned and averaged 18.1 PPG over the final 13 contests of his collegiate career. Despite the time off, Anthony still managed to make the ACC All-Freshman team, as well as earn third-team All-ACC honors. He was also ninth in the conference in free throws attempted. After finishing the shortened season with averages of 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists, Anthony declared his intentions to go pro in mid-April.
Makes impact off bench
GOrlando Magic
November 11, 2024
Anthony notched 16 points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 8-8 FT) and two rebounds across 15 minutes during Sunday's 121-94 victory over Washington.
ANALYSIS Orlando handled business early on in this contest, allowing Anthony to get some extra run. He made the most of his newfound minutes with a season-high mark of 16 points. Given his minimal role so far this season, fantasy managers will not want to overreact to this outlier performance.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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Advanced Stats
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Stat Review
How does Cole Anthony compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
46.0%
Effective Field Goal %
40.8%
3-Point Attempt Rate
46.9%
Free Throw Rate
44.9%
Offensive Rebound %
3.2%
Defensive Rebound %
20.9%
Total Rebound %
11.7%
Assist %
26.9%
Steal %
2.7%
Block %
0.7%
Turnover %
16.1%
Usage %
24.1%
Fantasy Points Per Game
9.6
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.0
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Magic Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Cole Anthony was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
Anthony has been useful in fantasy at times throughout his career, but his role decreased in 2022-23. This youngster was relegated to bench duties with Markelle Fultz starting at point guard, and it led to Anthony playing a career-low 26 minutes a night. It's uncommon to see such a young and talented player see a dip in minutes for a rebuilding team. But it's less surprising when you consider Fultz and Jalen Suggs swallowed up so many guard minutes, not to mention veterans Gary Harris and Terrence Ross. Orlando didn't do Anthony any favors in the draft either, taking Anthony Black with the No. 6 pick. It really feels like this team doesn't believe Anthony is a starter, but the averages are impressive, despite a limited role. Anthony averaged 13 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.3 threes on 45 percent from the field and 89 percent from the free-throw line. Anthony's weakness coming out of college was supposed to be his efficiency, but those percentages were strong last season. It's all a matter of playing time when discussing Anthony because he can be a must-roster player in a 30-minute role but becomes tough to trust if he plays just 20-25 minutes off the bench. The latter looks like the most likely outcome with how much guard depth this team has.
After a solid rookie season, Anthony improved as a sophomore in 2021-22. He emerged as a full-time starting point guard, with Markelle Fultz sitting out nearly the entire year while recovering from a torn ACL. In 31.7 minutes per game, Anthony averaged 16.3 points on 39/34/85 shooting, 5.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds. His impressive assist numbers and quality efficiency from the free-throw line assisted his 94th overall rank in eight-category leagues per game. However, Anthony's field-goal percentage was an issue, and he only provided a combined 1.0 steals-plus-blocks. This year, his circumstances seem bound to change, and he may have trouble producing at the same rate. Fultz is healthy, and the franchise appears committed to installing him as the starting point guard. Orlando also invested a fifth overall pick in Jalen Suggs, a strong candidate to start at shooting guard. That leaves Anthony coming off the bench. If Suggs struggles again, Anthony may maneuver his way into near-starter minutes, but fantasy managers can't bank on that. Even if Anthony thrives as a sixth man, his upside is significantly capped as long as Fultz and Suggs are healthy. First overall pick Paolo Banchero will need his touches as well, further diluting his touches. Anthony could be worth a late-round flier, but prospective managers should temper expectations following a decent second season.
Things were looking up for Anthony midway through his 2020-21 rookie season. Starting point guard Markelle Fultz suffered a torn ACL in early January and the Magic immediately inserted Anthony into the starting lineup. Through 17 consecutive starts, Anthony posted 12.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 three-pointers over 29.1 minutes per game. But then a rib injury forced the rookie to miss 25 straight games. He returned and eventually earned back the starting spot. Over the last 17 games of the season, Anthony started every game and delivered 16.2 points and 5.1 boards per contest on a depleted Magic squad. The problem for Anthony this season is two-fold. First, Fultz returns from his injury probably in December and is expected to once again start. Second, the Magic pulled an illusion and drafted rising star Jalen Suggs with the fifth overall pick this summer. Plan A for Orlando is to give both Fultz and Suggs monster backcourt minutes as the team rebuilds. That would bump combo-guard Anthony back to a reserve role. That said, the Magic still lack depth and Fultz's injury issues are well documented. Worst case scenario is Orlando turns to Anthony as its points-off-the-bench gunner who should still see north of 22 minutes per contest. Expect the usual sophomore shooting improvement from Anthony, who only shot 39.7 percent as a rookie. But an increase in counting stats could be hard to come by if Fultz returns and stays healthy.
The score-first point guard should have his chance to shine with the Magic as a backup guard (at the very least). In his freshman season at North Carolina, Anthony averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals, but shot a lackluster 38.0 percent from the field. The 6-foot-3 guard was a bit closer to par from three-point land, though, at 34.8 percent. Anthony figures to compete with Markelle Fultz for minutes at point guard, and Anthony could certainly find himself in a shooting-guard role, as well. As a rookie, he's expected to be mostly helpful fantasy-wise in the points category, but a poor field-goal percentage could drive down his effectiveness. If he lands a starting job, he'll be worth exploring as a flier in standard leagues.
More Fantasy News
Minimal action in loss
GOrlando Magic
November 2, 2024
Anthony closed with two points (1-4 FG, 0-1 FT), one rebound and two assists in eight minutes during Friday's 120-109 loss to Cleveland.
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Catches DNP-CD on Wednesday
GOrlando Magic
October 31, 2024
Anthony was a DNP-Coach's Decision for Wednesday's loss to the Bulls.
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Limited run in loss
GOrlando Magic
October 27, 2024
Anthony recorded four points (2-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two assists and one steal over eight minutes during Saturday's 124-111 loss to the Grizzlies.
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Productive off bench Monday
GOrlando Magic
October 8, 2024
Anthony delivered 11 points (3-8 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), two rebounds, two assists and a steal across 14 minutes off the bench in Monday's 106-104 preseason loss to the Pelicans.
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Closes game Friday
GOrlando Magic
May 3, 2024
Anthony accumulated nine points (4-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt), three rebounds, one assist and one steal across 19 minutes during Friday's 103-96 win over the Cavaliers in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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ANALYSIS Anthony's scoring production has increased slightly early in the 2023-24 campaign, but his results in other areas have remained around where they were last year. However, the 23-year-old guard has consistently provided a spark off the bench for a Magic squad competing for a top seed in the Eastern Conference, which puts him firmly in the conversation for some hardware at the end of the year if his impact continues.