With the 15th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic selected Guard Cole Anthony out of North Carolina. The Magic had also traded for 2017’s #1 overall pick, Markelle Fultz in February of 2019. Now, after taking Anthony 2 weeks ago, they seem to have their backcourt for the future. For the moment, Evan Fournier blocks Anthony’s path to an immediate starting role, so it could be a little while until we see the young duo starting together. This backcourt will have two playmaking guards, and we’ll have to see how they work together. The Magic have been hanging around seeds 7-10 for the last few years and now they are looking to break of their shell with young talent all around.
Markelle Fultz
After being traded to the Magic, the former #1 pick started to show the promise that got him selected over the likes of Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, John Collins, and plenty more. In the 2019-20 season, Fultz played in 72 out of the Magic’s 73 games, which was a terrific sign, considering he had only played in 33 games combined in the last two years. Fultz averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He also shot 46.5% from the field. His biggest area of improvement is his 3 point shot, and if he could get that down he could be an All Star caliber player. He is still only 22 years old, and still has some more time to develop it. Markelle Fultz will likely play Point Guard for this year, but when Fournier is off the team, he could switch over to Shooting Guard or switch off ball handling duties with Cole Anthony. He’s improved a lot since coming to the Magic, and this year he should continue that. He’s been dealing with a shoulder injury, but when he’s fully healthy he’s an X-Factor.
Cole Anthony
Cole Anthony came into the college season as a sure fire top 10 pick, but slipped due to injury and a very inconsistent jump shot. Anthony averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in his only season at UNC. Those look like good numbers, especially for a freshman. However, he only shot 38% from the field which is pretty awful, and 34.8% from 3. There are some reasons for the low shooting %, as he was not on a good team, and took a lot of shots. With the Magic, he will have more playmakers around him so he won’t do it all. He will likely come off the bench his first year for the Magic, and work his way into the starting lineup. His 3 point shot does have the potential to be consistent, if he works on it. If SG Evan Fournier is moved, he could find himself starting soon though. If he can hit his potential, he could be the steal of the draft for the Orlando Magic.
What would they look like together?
With two playmaking and ball handling guards, both with inconsistent shots, this could turn into a mess. However, if the Magic surround the young duo with shooters, it could work out well. There have been backcourts like this before, and if the two are egotistical it could be a mess. Both have to be 100% committed, and that could be a main reason for success or failure. With Anthony being 20, and Fultz being 22 they have some time to develop a consistent shot. If even one of them does, this backcourt could be very dangerous. Lastly, it will be hard for teams to defend the duo, both are very talented scorers, Anthony especially. The experiment could fall in many different ways and it will be exciting to see what happens.