Cole Anthony admitted his first preseason performance with the Orlando Magic was awesome, but it didn’t take long for the 20-year-old to kick back and turn things around.
Anthony closed out the preseason Saturday by scoring 19 points to help the Magic to a 120-117 win over the Charlotte Hornets. He fired 7-of-15 from the field and got the pass basket, a running floor, 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 also tied with LaMelo Ball for the most fans (15 ) among first-year players. His 55 total points were ranked 27th among all players.
Top five rookie writers of the 2020-21 season:
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 will not earn Anthony any rewards but the strong start shows what he has developed in each game. Anthony knew it would take some time to adjust to the pace of the NBA and he looks a lot more comfortable than he did in his first game.
The Magic certainly have high expectations this season for Anthony. He plans to play a big part with the team and the confidence with which he played will go a long way as Orlando prepares to end Wednesday’s regular season against the Miami Heat.