The Phoenix Suns had a slightly more encouraging year than we have come to expect from them, with their best win percentage in five years. But they still lack true offensive threats outside of Devin Booker that can transform this team into a playoff contender.
The Suns currently have Ricky Rubio running the point, who has done a great job initiating offense and getting good looks for Booker. Rubio has had a good year overall, but his weaknesses scoring the ball will always be there, meaning that teams sag off him a lot.
Rubio will help the Suns be better than they were in the past but he is almost 30, and the Suns need a young point guard who can they pair longterm with Booker.
Step up, Cole Anthony. With the number ten pick, the Suns should take the 19-year-old Tar Heel.
Anthony is a six-foot-three point guard who weighs 190 pounds.
He is an all round prospect whose stats at UNC don’t show how good of a player he is. As the only creator on his team, he shouldered a lot of the scoring load. This reflects in his 16 shot attempts a game and only 38% from the field.
Though he isn’t the biggest point guard in this class, Anthony is a strong finisher at the rim and is a more capable shooter than his 34.8 percent from three shows.
Looking at Anthony he doesn’t identify as a great athlete, but when you watch him move on the court, he already looks like an NBA player. He is quick, strong considering his weight and he has a great first step.
As a finisher his tape from UNC isn’t impressive, but the spacing was terrible on this team. This is easily noticeable in clips. In the NBA he won’t play with two bigs so the extra spacing will benefit his finishing.
He is one of the hardest workers in this draft and his mentality on the court reflects that.
As a passer he can be a primarily playmaker, he won’t ever be at a LaMelo Ball level of play making, but he values possession and doesn’t take too many risks. He makes quality reads for teammates in both the half and open court.
Defensively, he only has a six-foot-four wingspan, but he is so tough and has excellent vision on that end. Because he is so competitive he plays above his size on both ends. His technique isn’t perfect defensively, but as he is such a hard worker he will improve with time.
Anthony is the perfect all-round player for this Suns team.