Bucks' new addition Cole Anthony arrives in Milwaukee after five seasons in Orlando. He's far from a headline signing, but Anthony has familial connections to the Bucks that give him additional motivation to succeed on the team. His father, Greg Anthony, played for the Bucks with the same jersey number, 50, in his last season.
Cole Anthony: Carrying on the family legacy
Cole Anthony already has high expectations for his first season with the Bucks. None other than Giannis Antetokounmpo has already identified him as a potential X-factor for the Bucks. He will have an important role to play as a key reserve at point guard.
Anthony can provide value on both ends, which is exactly what the team needs from its role players. Offensively, he’s been a double-digit scorer for most of his career and has also shown some solid playmaking ability. In his career-best 2021-22 season, Anthony averaged 16 points and six assists per game - definitely a nice added creation punch for the Bucks to bring off the bench.
Another important aspect of Anthony’s offensive game is pushing the pace. The Bucks will be relying on a lot of fastbreak opportunities this season with limited half-court creators outside of Giannis, and Anthony has the right mentality to start the fastbreak at every opportunity. This includes not just running off turnovers, but also misses and even opponent makes sometimes.
Now that Anthony has been called out by Giannis to give the Bucks a big boost, the pressure will be on to improve his scoring efficiency. In all his time in Orlando, whether it was as a starter or bench player, Anthony never had the best shooting percentages. This could definitely change on the Bucks, as he will get more open looks than ever off of Giannis’ gravity and passing. But either way, the Bucks will need more than his career-best 45 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.
Still, Anthony probably feels even more pressure to carry on his father’s legacy. He’s worn the same jersey number (50) that his father is most known for throughout his Magic tenure, but now he gets to wear a jersey that is identical to his father’s in every way - the number, the team, and the name on the back.
Greg’s lone season with the Bucks in 2002 was a rather uneventful one. He joined the team after being cut by the Bulls at age 34 and played 24 games to finish out his NBA career. In those games, he averaged seven points and three assists per game but was extremely inefficient from the field.
Cole Anthony has a lot of motivation to turn his career around in Milwaukee. After being cast aside by the Magic, Anthony joins a team that he feels is a better fit for him and needs to make good on his potential to be a game-changer. But above all else, he will want to honor the jersey worn by his father.