Cole Anthony admittedly described his first preseason performance with the Orlando Magic as terrible, but it didn’t take long for the 20-year-old to bounce back and turn things around.
Anthony closed out the preseason on Saturday by scoring 19 points to help the Magic to a 120-117 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He shot 7-of-15 from the field and had the go-ahead basket, a running floater, with 14.1 seconds left to seal the win.
Over his four preseason games, Anthony led all rookies in scoring (55 points) and made 3-pointers (8) while he was also tied with LaMelo Ball for the most assists (15) among first-year players. His 55 total points ranked 27th among all players.
The top five rookie scorers of the 2020-21 preseason:
- Cole Anthony (55 points)
- Isaac Okoro (45 points)
- Patrick Williams (45 points)
- Devin Vassell (41 points)
- Desmond Bane (37 points)
Of course, leading the rookie class in scoring won’t earn Anthony any trophies but the strong start shows how much he has improved each game. Anthony knew it would take some time to adjust to the speed of the NBA and he looks much more comfortable than he did in his first game.
The Magic certainly have high expectations this season for Anthony. He projects to play a major role with the team and the confidence he has played with will go a long way as Orlando prepares to tip-off the regular season on Wednesday versus the Miami Heat.
SOURCE: ROOKIE WIRE
