In a surprising move, the Milwaukee Bucks recently signed Cole Anthony following his buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies. Anthony has the potential to be a sizeable spark on the offensive end, but being at least somewhat reliable on the defensive side is far more uncertain, largely because he is undersized at 6-foot-2. His play on that end could dictate how well his Milwaukee Bucks tenure goes.
Bucks need Anthony to hold up defensively
With Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Gary Harris on the payroll, the Bucks backcourt currently consists of guards 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 who can play on both sides of the court and 6-foot-2 Cole Anthony. He's the oddball, and opposing players could look to single him out on defense because of his size, a consistent trend in today's NBA.
It could be part of the reason he played a career-low 18.4 minutes per contest in Orlando last season, with the Magic opting to utilize bigger guards such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black.
The numbers don't paint a pretty picture. This past regular season, opposing players hit 47.6 percent of their shots with Anthony as their primary defender. In the NBA Playoffs, which was just a five-game sample size, the Boston Celtics shot 59.1 percent against Anthony. Matchup data isn't the end all be all for a player, but it can certainly showcase how much success players have against someone.
He doesn't have to make an All-Defensive team, but if Anthony can eradicate the narrative that just because a player is undersized means they can't play defense, it could do so much for this backcourt. With career averages of 12.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, Anthony can certainly help this team on offense. If he can become a two-way player, his impact will only increase more and more.
Even if it's never been a significant part of his game, Anthony has the energy and motor to put forth some needed effort on the defensive end. The Milwaukee Bucks will undoubtedly push him to grow in that regard, and he seems like someone who will be more than up for the challenge. It would help him fit right in with the extensive youth retooling the Bucks have undergone this summer.
Depending on how things end up defensively, this could end up being a hidden gem signing for the Milwaukee Bucks down the line.
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