Cole Anthony takes accountability and admits to his mistakes as an analyst points out the 21-year-old’s poor pick-and-roll defense against the Pistons.
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Cole Anthony has been one of the most improved players this year. With Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac out with their gruesome injuries, the son of the former NBA guard Greg Anthony has risen up and taken the responsibility of the Orlando Magic’s primary playmaker. Amid Orlando’s failures this season, Cole’s increase in production has been one of the only positive takeaways for the organization.
On Saturday night, Anthony put up yet another solid performance amid his breakout season. The former UNC Tar Heel dropped 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in the 36:02 minutes of playing time he saw. Unfortunately, the Pistons overcame the Magic winning the contest 97-92, losing their 8th straight game in a row.
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However, the 2nd-year guard did take accountability for the mistakes during the clash. NBA advanced stat writer John Schumann took it to Twitter highlighting Anthony’s poor pick-and-roll defense during the dying minutes of the close battle.
Cole Anthony has quickly developed into a solid offensive player, but his defense on these two Cunningham/Joseph p&rs… Woof. pic.twitter.com/vTefAps11p
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) January 9, 2022
“We got away from the Magic down the stretch, that’s on me”: Cole Anthony
The 21-year-old admitted to his poor defense in the clutch and stated he would fix it. The 6-foot-3 shifty guard replied:
“Really bad will fix it”
Really bad will fix it
— Cole Anthony (@The_ColeAnthony) January 9, 2022
During the postgame interview, Anthony took the blame on himself regarding the squad’s poor last quarter performance.
“We did a lot of good things to get us back into the game in the third quarter, but we got away from them down the stretch. That’s on me, because Gary was hitting everything and I didn’t get him enough shots, and I needed to get Franz (Wagner) going down the stretch.”
Despite his poor performance, NBA Twitter lauded the youngster for taking accountability.
This is what accountability looks like, respect. #Salute
— A Man With No Name (@SnottieDrippen) January 9, 2022
This is what makes good players great.
— PlayingDead™☠️ (@Im_PlayingDead) January 9, 2022
A real goat recognizes weaknesses🤟
— Franz BAGner (@kp20magic) January 9, 2022
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Averaging 20.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, Cole has been actively improving his game through the course of the season. And if you’re a Magic fan, you love to see Cole being a sport and acknowledging his mistakes. There is no doubt that Anthony will keep his word and work on his flaws.