Wednesday is draft night for the NBA, COVID 2020 style, and at some point, Cole Anthony will hear his name called.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel knew this night would come after playing just one season in Chapel Hill, but he and everyone else figured it would have taken place five months earlier. But the bizarreness of 2020 has the NBA Draft occurring a week before Thanksgiving.
So, Anthony will have a new team before night’s end, but when in the draft will he be selected and who will be his new employer? Nobody is certain, as Anthony’s stock has slowly dropped over the last few months.
Anthony was the No. 4 overall player in the nation as a senior in 2019 and his debut at UNC couldn’t have gone any better. He set an opening-game record for a freshman at Carolina by scoring 34 points in leading the Tar Heels past Notre Dame.
It was an exhilarating night that had some people tabbing him as the next Zion Williamson from a star power standpoint. But it didn’t work out that way. The Tar Heels struggled to a 14-19 mark, the second worst season in program history, and Anthony ended up missing 11 games because of a partially torn meniscus in his right knee.
He still personally excelled, averaging 18.5 points per game, the second highest for a freshman in UNC history, while also grabbing 5.7 rebounds and handing out 4.0 assists per contest. Even though he was a point guard, the 6-foot-3 native of New York pulled down 10 or more rebounds in four games. He also became the first Tar Heel to ever score 25 points and also hand out seven assists in consecutive games (at Syracuse, home versus Wake Forest). Those performances came after the injury, too.
Anthony still made third-team All-ACC despite missing nearly a third of the season.
Among the criticisms are his shot selection last season, which at times he appeared forced, and sometimes his demeanor after missed shots or when something went wrong on the court. Also, and this is something that started creeping up over the last few months, is that he was a bad teammate.
Those who played with him a year ago have vehemently rejected that notion.
Armando Bacot, who came in with Anthony as a freshman last season, became close friends with him during the recruiting process. He tweeted a strong defense of his buddy last month.
“This notion that Cole is a bad teammate is so hilarious to me one of the best guys in the locker room and always motivating everyone,” Bacot tweeted.
Garrison Brooks was the Tar Heels’ best player last season and replied to Bacot’s tweet with one of his own, adding some typical Brooks-like humor.
“I agree with Armando for once in my life. Cole Anthony is not a bad teammate,” the tweet read. “One of the most the most genuine guys I have been around.”
As a result of that and some critiques of his game, Anthony is still projected as a late lottery pick by some outlets and a first-round selection by everyone, but he’s not going to be the top pick in the draft, as some projected this time a year ago, or even in the top five.
In a recent interview with the New York Post, Anthony said he’s not deterred by his slipping stock and is channeling it into fuel
“I just got to come into this with a chip on my shoulder,” Anthony said. “I’m not in an ideal position, but all my dreams, all my goals are still ahead of me.”
The draft is Wednesday night at 7:30 EST.
Cole Anthony Draft Projections
USA Today – No. 14 – Boston Celtics
Yahoo! Sports – No. 14 – Boston Celtics
NBADraftRoom.com – No. 16 – Houston Rockets
CBS Sports – No. 17 – Minnesota Timberwolves
Sporting News – No. 19 – Brooklyn Nets
FOX Sports – No. 21 – Philadelphia 76ers
Sports Illustrated – No. 21 – Philadelphia 76ers
*Note: When Anthony is drafted, he will be the 53rd UNC player ever selected in the NBA draft and the 33rd that played for Roy Williams.
