Cole Anthony 'vs.' Jalen Suggs: Orlando Magic Must Trade One?
The Orlando Magic has not lately been blessed with an excess of talent on this roster, though maybe the addition via the NBA Draft of Paolo Banchero will be the start to a change of all that.
In the meantime, part of the build includes the backcourt tandem of Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs, who have a number of things going for them, starting with ...
Cole Anthony is 22.
Jalen Suggs is 21.
And it is for that reason that we find ourselves a bit mystified by the national media suggestion that the young duo is destined for a breakup - in fact, a trade.
Writes the gang at Bleacher Report: "The fit remains iffy ... as both are ball-dominant players who haven't shown the ability to spot up or space the floor for the other. Suggs was especially bad at that as a rookie, only connecting on 22.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, while Orlando's offense ranked next-to-last with a 103.9 rating.''
This, we will argue, is one of those unfortunate cases in which a critic can make numbers dance in any direction he wishes.
But in fact, there are advanced stat numbers that suggest Suggs and Anthony together last season was maybe the very best thing about the Orlando Magic ... the numbers are actually positive, and as near as we can tell, so is the chemistry between the two young fellas.
So why does Bleacher Report, while all along acknowledging that "they're the two most talented guards on the roster,'' follow up by saying ...
"Anthony and Suggs both have a fair amount of upside but look like a questionable fit that a trade may be required to break up.''
Why? Because "the two most talented guards on the roster'' arguably struggled with "spacing''?
Gathering talent has been a challenge for Orlando. Teaching "spacing'' should be the easy part. What say we let Cole Anthony (age 22), Jalen Suggs (21) and now Paolo Banchero (age 19!) try to "grow up'' before we "blow up,'' eh?
