Cole Anthony has struggled mightily in the Bucks' recent losing streak, and Doc Rivers doesn't see a simple solution. "He's struggling right now and we have to do something to help him," were his exact words. It's another challenge for the Bucks coaches to get the best out of Anthony during Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury absence. If Anthony cannot turn it around quickly, the Bucks will continue to struggle as a team.
Cole Anthony is having his worst stretch as a Buck
Anthony had a strong start to the season when Giannis was healthy, but his play has taken a dive in the recent losing streak. At a time when the Bucks need players to step up and support their young point guard, Ryan Rollins, Anthony has struggled and played at his worst. Over the last five games, Anthony is averaging just six points and four assists per game.
Not only is his total production low, but he's also been very inefficient with his opportunities. He is shooting 36 percent from the field and 10 percent from three during this stretch while adding over three turnovers per game.
The Bucks were hoping that Anthony could be a sparkplug for them as a late free agent addition. They've been forced to get creative in finding talent after striking out in the draft recently, and signing Anthony seemed like a major win. The Bucks picked him up off waivers after the Grizzlies bought him out.
Now, the team must get creative to find success with Anthony. He might be in his own head at this point considering the compounding of his poor play. The Bucks coaches must find ways to take pressure off Anthony and initiate the offense in different ways for the second unit. The Bucks are lacking in reliable ball-handlers at this point, so it will take some advanced offensive sets to get good looks without being overly reliant on Rollins and Anthony.
The shots really haven't been falling for Anthony, but it's a difficult problem to solve. Even in his awful performance in the Bucks' most recent loss to the Heat, when he shot 0-of-7 from the field, Anthony was still getting the same looks as usual. He had some wide-open looks from three and some mid-range pull-ups in rhythm that he was making earlier in the season.
Anthony appears to be in an unlucky shooting spell, but it's coming at the worst time for the Bucks. They need production from him with their star missing, but they've been asking too much from him. Hopefully the Bucks are able to find better ways to get Anthony involved, and he can get out of his funk.