The Milwaukee Bucks are excited about what Cole Anthony can bring to the table as a backup point guard. Offensively, he fits exactly what they need in the second unit as someone who can push the pace and score in bunches. Furthermore, only good things have come out of Orlando regarding Anthony's character, loyalty, and support for teammates.
Defensively, he has his limitations as an undersized guard. That's one area in which he must improve to really take off in his role. As much as the Milwaukee Bucks want to see him succeed, remaining a defensive liability would keep him off the floor.
Stepping up his defense will keep Anthony on the floor for his offense
Admittedly, adding Anthony in free agency was only possible as a buy-low move. Had Memphis been able to find trade suitors, as they tried to for weeks after acquiring him via trade, there would have been no need for a buyout, releasing Anthony to the open market.
A look at his on-off stats hints at his essentially nonexistent trade value. By net on-off rating, it was the worst season of Anthony's career, amounting to -6 wins added in an 82-game season. Most surprisingly, he took a more notable step back on offense than defensively. With Anthony on the floor, Orlando scored 0.3 points fewer per 100 possessions, a career-low differential.
That development could derive in part from a higher turnover percentage paired with a lower free throw rate. Those factors held down his overall efficiency. Volume production is not an issue; making the most of a bench role, Anthony posted per-36-minute averages of 18.4 points, six rebounds, and 5.6 assists. Not bad for a minimum-salary flyer.
The other side of the ball is where the main concern lies for Anthony. Whereas he has supplied consistent volume as a scorer and facilitator, making him an offensive weapon most years, only once has he recorded an above-average differential on defense.
While not as notably, his numbers regressed there as well in Orlando last season. Rising to plus-2.2, his defensive on-off rating gave opposing offenses an extra 0.7 points per 100 possessions compared to the year prior. It was the second-highest rating of his career.
There is room for improvement, clearly, but there is reason to believe that Anthony can answer the bell. Given the general criticisms of his game, that he graded out as a plus-defender (in 2021-22) might be surprising to some. Narratives and reputation can skew the whole picture; different numbers tell a different story.
In fact, Anthony was a solid 0.9 points/100 above average in defensive box-score plus-minus. For whatever it's worth, he set career-highs in steal and block percentages. This suggests that, at the very least, he remained active on that end of the floor.
If he's going to get playing time, he'll have to bring intensity and focus to his defensive responsibilities for the Bucks. If he doesn't, a strong defender like Ryan Rollins will eat up some of Anthony's minute share on top of his own. Anthony does not have to become a DPOY candidate; he just needs to trend closer to his -1.4 on-off rating in '22. It will be key to keeping his offensive upside on the floor.