To thrive next to a star who loves driving the basketball, role players must be able to hit their outside shots off passes from said star. Cole Anthony didn't excel in this regard with the Orlando Magic as a complement to All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, but he must do so with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks if he wants to thrive with his new squad.
Bucks need Cole Anthony to flip the script
Anthony hasn't helped Banchero earn many assists as a perimeter shooter. In 2022-23, Anthony went just 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) on his triples off Banchero passes. The following season, it was 12-of-53 (22.6 percent). Last season was by far his best effort, but it was still just 15-of-43 (34.9 percent). If he wants to play big minutes next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, those numbers won't cut it.
Players tend to have their best - if not one of their best - shooting seasons in Milwaukee because the Greek Freak feeds them open looks. With Giannis set to be the primary ball-handler this coming year, he will depend on these complementary role players knocking down wide-open 3-pointers off of his pretty passes to keep defenses guessing. If a player isn't hitting shots when they are wide open like this next to Giannis, it's tough to have them on the floor, as it disrupts the offense.
Cole Anthony must do better for the Milwaukee Bucks in this regard than he did with the Magic.
Right off the bat, Giannis certainly commands more attention than Banchero, who is a rising star in his own right. Anthony got good looks in Orlando, but he will have exceptional looks in Milwaukee. He will have the green light to fire away every single time he gets one. It wouldn't be surprising if he blew the numbers he got with Banchero out of the water - that is the hope, at least. In fact, his career-high in 3-point percentage is 36.4. The young point guard could shatter that if he capitalizes.
To be clear, Cole Anthony isn't coming to Milwaukee to simply be a floor spacer for Giannis. On paper, he has the chops to run the second unit, providing excellent facilitating and a nice scoring burst when called upon. The defense remains a question mark, but the potential is there. If he can do all of that while spacing the floor adequately for Giannis Antetokounmpo, this signing will be a home run.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.