Cole Anthony, who got off to a red-hot start this season, has been cold lately. To sum it up, the guard, who has been entrusted to run the second unit as a lead floor general, is averaging 3.5 assists and a brutal 3.5 turnovers over the Milwaukee Bucks' last four games. That four-game stretch is particularly important because it's how long Giannis Antetokounmpo has been out.
The Bucks have needed all hands on deck, but Anthony's struggles have been on full display.
Cole Anthony's play has fallen off a cliff as of late
Anthony's play has been too reckless, simply put. He oftentimes tries to make the flashy pass to an open man, but an opposing defender sniffs it out immediately for the pick, leading to countless more scoring opportunities for the other team. That type of recklessness cannot remain the case for a player who is supposed to be running the bench unit.
To put just how poorly Anthony's turnovers have been into perspective, he's tied for the team lead in giveaways per game in this stretch with Ryan Rollins. However, Rollins is averaging 8.5 assists in this run compared to Anthony's 3.5. Rollins is turning it over that much in 36.5 minutes per contest, while Anthony is logging just 15.9. Ouch.
All of that goes without mentioning how subpar Anthony's scoring has been. In this stretch, he has put up 6.8 points while shooting 38.7 percent from the floor, including an unsatisfactory 10 percent from 3-point range. When he's passing, he's turning it over just as much as he's getting an assist. On the occasions he shoots it, he's very rarely finding success.
Despite Anthony's struggles, Doc Rivers made it clear after the guard's 0-for-7 shooting night against the Miami Heat that he still believes in Anthony. "The kid can play. We gotta keep believing in him," Rivers told reporters. If Anthony will remain in the rotation, the Milwaukee Bucks will need more from him moving forward. Whatever he has to do, he must do it to shake this slump.
If Anthony's struggles persist, the Bucks will have an easy solution once Kevin Porter Jr. makes his return to the lineup. Porter, who is recovering from meniscus surgery, can come in and take a good chunk of those minutes at the point guard spot from Anthony. As Porter's return looms, Anthony has the next few games to prove he belongs and can be an impactful piece.
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