Should the Lakers trade up in the draft for Cole Anthony?

Cole Anthony’s upside

To put it plainly, North Carolina did not put Cole Anthony in the best situation to succeed.

A flawed roster that had zero floor spacing, a clogged paint, and a lackluster supporting cast led to Anthony having to shoulder a heavy load.

Put Cole Anthony in a situation where he doesn’t need to be the 1st 2nd and at times even the 3rd option, and you are going to get one hell of a player.

Anthony has the potential to be a number one guy, not on a championship contender but for rebuilding or middle of the road team. He is a long way off realizing that potential.

The low-end expectation for Cole Anthony right now is for him to be a Mo Williams type of player.

A starting level point guard with the potential to make an All-Star game someday.
His high-end potential is a better version of CJ McCollum.

A score 1st combo guard capable of scoring in bunches.

Anthony needs to improve on defense but the willingness to get better is there. Anthony can stroke it from the 3-point line and get volcanic in a hurry.

This will be ideal in a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he will have endless amounts of open shots allowing him to get easy buckets.

Anthony would also be the perfect secondary playmaker next to LeBron James. He doesn’t need the ball all the time to be effective as he is an excellent catch and shoot 3-point marksman.

He can dish the ball out at a decent level and that is all the Lakers need.

Cole Anthony has the potential to be a really good player.

With coaches like Frank Vogel, Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins, Phil Handy, and Mike Penberthy, Cole Anthony would have a real chance at realizing his former number 1 overall expectations.