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In most cases, the NBA’s opening week yields too small of a sample size to make any definitive conclusions. With the Orlando Magic winning its first two regular-season games, and playing competitively against the Los Angeles Lakers, however, Magic point guard Cole Anthony hardly minced words on whether the team can make the playoffs.
“I think so,” Anthony told Sportskeeda. “I think everyone wants it.”
Cole Anthony interview (Exclusive)
Anthony spoke to Sportskeeda on numerous topics, including his off-season extension, 6th Man of the Year possibilities, the Magic’s youth movement and his dad, Greg, who had his own prolific NBA career (1991-2002).
Editor’s note: The following 1-on-1 interview has been edited and condensed.
What did it mean to you for the team to show faith in you with an extension after being constantly in trade rumors?
Anthony:
“I just wanted to get to success. I love where I’m at. The Magic are the team that drafted me and took a chance on me from a young foolish kid that lives in Carolina to a less foolish kid that lives in Orlando. It’s been good. The biggest reason was that I love it here and now I can play the game stress-free. I don’t have to worry about the contract aspect. I can go just try to help this team win. It will just allow me to play free. That’s the biggest thing. I don’t have to worry about whether I’m getting a contract or wonder, ‘What is it going to be?’ I only have to worry about helping this team win now.”
What will playing stress-free do for your game?
Anthony:
“Whatever the team needs on any given night. It changes from night to night. If they need me to go guard one of the best players, score 20 [points], get 10 assists, whatever it is. That’s what I’m here to do.”
What has gone into your improved efficiency?
Anthony:
“I think I really figured it out last year. It took me a few years. But I’m just trying to take the shots that I like and that I work on. I’ve learned that this NBA game is really repetitive. Honestly, I’m going to get most of my shots on a nightly basis from the same spots. So, it’s a matter of honing in and keying in on those spots and being able to hit those shots at a high clip."
"I started watching the game a lot more and just watching basketball in general a lot more. I’ve always put the work in. But I keyed in on those spots and was able to differentiate them. Honestly, what helped me a lot was watching Markelle [Fultz] play. He was so efficient. He shot 50% from the field the last couple of years. He’s always going to get the shot he wants. I thought, ‘Shoot, why can’t I do that?’ So I just started to replicate that. I get to see it in live action, which is the best way to see it.”
What stuff did you see with Fultz that you tried to emulate?
Anthony:
“The way he’s using his body and elevating with the defense. He’s also crafty with the ball. We’re different players with different bills. But I’ve tried to take on those aspects. I’ve gotten a lot stronger and worked on my shot and be decisive enough with the ball to get to my spots."
What about defensively? [Magic coach Jamahl] Mosley has been high on your development there.
Anthony:
“I’m just trying to do a better job with knowing what I’m stepping into each night on the floor. I knew the person that I’m usually guarding. So I’m watching that player to. be able to differentiate what shots they want and know where they’re comfortable and where they’re not comfortable. I try to make them as uncomfortable as possible."
"Think back to when we played the Trail Blazers last week. Malcolm Brogdon was 6th Man of the Year for a reason. In the first half, he got it going a little bit. But in the second half, I blocked one of his mid-range jumpers. I keyed in and adjusted to that. I know he likes to work in that midrange, draw fouls and shoot 3s. So, it was about getting him off that 3-point line and containing him so he can’t get to his mid-range jumper. I try to win the little victories whenever I can."
Do you see winning 6th Man of the Year as a realistic goal?
Anthony:
“That would be dope, but obviously I care more about team success. If us winning means I get 6th Man, cool. I don’t really care. I just stay ready. I put in a lot of work on a daily basis. I just try to stay ready for whenever my name is called. I know what I can do to help this team. I try to do that as the best of my ability."
"It’s been a pretty solid start, and I’m continuing to build off of it. I’m in a good spot right now. I think we can continue to build and get better. I’ve come back every single year and have gotten better. I don’t plan on stopping now. I’m no fool. I know all the areas I need to work on. My defense has been criticized. Same thing with my efficiency. But my main goal is not to give anyone any doubts.”
It’s early. But given the success so far, where do you see this team headed with having a young nucleus in a crowded Eastern Conference?
Anthony: “Personally, I think we are one of the more talented teams. It’s just a matter of us staying healthy. We’ve really started to put it together. We have so much talent. That’s all due to our hard work and having high character dudes. We can win. I think we can make some noise. That’s what we’re starting to do. We have to stay consistent and stay healthy.”
Are the playoffs a realistic goal?
Anthony: “I think so. I think everyone wants it.”
What will it take to get there?
Anthony: “There are games where we can either lose by a small margin or win by a small margin. I think that comes down to very small details. Last season, we had a bunch of games where in the last couple of minutes, there were just a few key mistakes that made us lose games. So for us this season, it’s about paying attention to those details and trying to win those close games where it comes down to two or three-point swings.”
What’s it like being on an NBA team that is so young?
Anthony: “It’s dope. I’m 23 years old, and now I’m the middle of the pack. I feel like I’m a vet, and I have the fourth-longest tenure on the team. It’s super dope. We’re all around the same age. So we can connect on an intellectual level. We all have a lot of similar interests. But we all have a bunch of high-character dudes on this team. So, it’s easy to get along. I’ll give an example. Caleb Houston is one of the most militant and hard-working dudes on the team, and he’s 20 years old. That’s dope we have those dudes that have such good habits at such a young age. It projects well into the future.”
The Magic added Joe Ingles as a veteran. What does it mean to have more veterans?
Anthony:
“It helps a lot. Joe is the key vet we added this year. He’s a voice that has been part of a winning culture in the NBA. He brings that over here and gives us knowledge and brings up pointers about the game. It’s been dope. He’s been an on-court coach. He’s so good at analyzing the situations and getting the right play. A lot of times when we’re out there, he’ll run the second unit and he’ll call the play. I’m like, ‘All right! I’m cool with that.’ I know he’s a good decision-maker and a smart guy. He’s been there.”
How do you see Paolo Banchero, Jonathan Isaac and Franz Wagner building off of what they have shown?
Anthony: “All three of those dudes have elite level talent. JI has a chance to be a defensive player of the year candidate. Paolo and Franz are All-Star caliber players. I’m just blessed to be around them and help with the journey. At the same time, I’m on my own journey.”
What will it take for Isaac to win the DPOY award?
Anthony:
“I think his biggest thing is he just has to stay on the court and be healthy. I know he’s dealt with a lot in the past, but I think the best is ahead of him. I pray for his health. He’s a difference-maker defensively. I don’t think there is anyone else in the league who has a motor like him and moves like him at that size on the defensive side. He’s an elite difference-maker.”
And what about Banchero and Wagner to become All-Stars?
Anthony:
“Just us winning. That will have the biggest impact on that. You could argue last season that Paolo should’ve been an All-Star. But we were at the bottom of the league. This year will be different. If we win, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be in the conversation. He won Rookie of the Year and deserved it.”
What has your dad meant to you considering the successful NBA career he had?
Anthony:
“My dad has been one of my biggest supporters. It’s been super dope. I’m a lot better than he ever was (laughs). He and my mom have been my biggest fans. I love them to death. They’re super supportive. It makes it easy.”
When did you first beat him one-on-one?
Anthony:
“I think when I was 13. We were playing three games. He won the first one. I won the second one. Then we played a third game, and he fake hurt. We haven’t played since then.”
I read that you and your mom are part of an initiative….
Anthony:
(Interrupts) “Yeah, we have an App we recently launched called “Gameup.” We started in the Tri-state area because I’m from New York. It’s a resource app mainly for parents and also for kids as they get older from ages 4 to 17 to help connect them to the right AAU grassroots basketball team. That world is so crazy. From when I was a kid to now, it just got 10 times crazier. It was crazy back then."
"It’s a lot with trying to find the right AAU team at the right level. How do you figure out if that coach is not going to take advantage of your kid and put him on the team and not play him? You want to play when you’re a young kid. You don’t want to be just on a team. So it’s about helping the kids connect to the right program at the right skill level.”
How did you and your parents handle that process?
Anthony:
“From me playing AAU basketball to my little sister who is now in college playing AAU basketball to now having an 11-year-old and 10-year-old brother playing AAU basketball, we’ve been around the way. The same coach who coached me in fifth, sixth and seventh-grade coach my little brother now. It’s about knowing people after going through it all. My mom is currently going through it with my 10-year-old brother. So the main thing is to help parents solidify the process and help them find trustworthy programs that won’t take advantage of the kid. It’s about doing what’s best for the kid.”
You loved baseball as a kid and likely had wide choices of what to do as a career. What made you choose basketball and follow in your dad’s footsteps?
Anthony:
“My parents never forced me to play basketball. When I was a kid, I played a bunch of sports. In fourth or fifth grade, I ended up telling my dad that I wanted to play basketball full-time and take it seriously. He said I was better at baseball than I was at basketball. That probably is true. At the time I told him I wanted to make basketball my main sport, I wasn’t really that good. But I’ve come a long way. I didn’t wind up listening to him until about 8th grade. But he’s been with me on that journey. He dished out the on-court advice.”
What advice stands out?
Anthony:
“The best advice my dad ever gave me was to stay in the moment. If you’re always thinking about the future, the moment may pass you by. I always try to take that advice to heart. I’ve had a lot of great moments on my journey here, and I will have a lot more great moments. I don’t want to miss anything. I want to fully enjoy all of this."
"I think about going back to high school and playing in the McDonald’s All-American game and playing in the Jordan Brand Classic and playing in the Nike Hoops Summit. My first college game was crazy. I tore my meniscus in college. It wasn’t a great memory, but it helped form the person I am today. In the NBA, I got drafted obviously. My rookie year when I broke my rib, that joint hurt and it was an obscure injury. There are a lot of highs and a lot of lows."
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.
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