Cole Anthony burst onto the scene with 23 points in his second game for the Milwaukee Bucks. It was easy to beam over what a "hidden gem" the team had uncovered in free agency. That may have been getting ahead of things. Anthony can still be a positive contributor, but after a strong start, his recent struggles and the reality of his flaws have lessened the initial excitement.
Anthony has his problems, consistency chief among them
Since pouring in 32 points and 12 assists in his first 39 minutes on the floor, Anthony has shown why he is known for streakiness. In his last nine games, he is shooting below 40 percent from the field. On four occasions, he has scored four points or fewer. He's still creating for teammates, but turnovers have been an issue at times. Anthony can get a bit reckless.
His susceptibility on the other end of the floor was evident from the start, though it was easier to gloss over when he was getting all those buckets against Toronto. The Bucks knew defense would be a challenge given Anthony's small size. No one can accuse him of not putting in the effort, but sometimes fouling is his only recourse against larger players. Five quick fouls limited him to 12 minutes in the season opener. Three games later, he fouled out versus Golden State.
From a fouling perspective, at least, Anthony is doing better of late. Although the Bucks hoped he could make strides on the defensive end, his shortcomings there may simply be something the team has to live with.
To compensate, though, Anthony has to produce on offense. It hasn't all been bad. He's had some good games this month - 12 points here, five assists there. Consistency is the issue. No doubt fans in Orlando, where Anthony spent his first five seasons, are well aware.
The up-and-down nature of his play has decreased his season averages to 9.9 points and 4.8 assists on 44 percent from the field and 30 percent on threes. The assists are up. The shooting efficiency is a bit down. His overall numbers are very similar to what he did last year for the Magic.
Anthony had his two highest point totals in the first four games. Three weeks isn't a lot of data to work with, but it's dawning on Bucks fans that the highs of the Cole Anthony experience come with a fair share of lows. Lately, they've seen more of the latter.