NBA Draft 2020: 5 best fits for Cole Anthony

1. Boston Celtics

If Cole Anthony wants to be surrounded by an abundance of lengthy perimeter and interior defenders, a preexisting jumbo initiator, a defensive culture that routinely extracts the most it can out of even the most limited of defenders, a pick-and-roll scheme that emphasizes screening so that its ball handlers can get into the paint and all the way to the basket (thus making up for burst/finishing woes), an egalitarian offense that allows its creators to create creases that they or their teammates can attack, a head coach with a penchant for multi-guard play and a history of maximizing his guard scorers, and a patient front office with a strong team culture, then look no further than the Boston Celtics. There is simply so much going for a pairing between Anthony and Boston.

Brad Stevens has shown himself capable of using his guards both on and off the ball, finding success with stars Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker, and even finding niches for Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier to succeed in. Anthony would need to serve as a backup for Walker for the foreseeable future, but he would make a tremendous bench backcourt duo with Smart, who could take the point-of-attack responsibilities and playmake for the second unit, and it’s not like Stevens is opposed to running three-guard lineups anyway.

The Celtics do well to insulate their weakest links on defense, with the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Gordon Hayward providing a tangible impact on the perimeter while Daniel Theis, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams III protect the interior. There would be no concerns with Anthony’s shortcomings on that end — the Celtics finished fourth in defensive rating this year despite starting a 6-foot guard in Walker — and it’s feasible that an off-ball role would enable Anthony’s interior helpside skills to flourish.

He wouldn’t start right away (not uncommon among the teams picking in his range), which may not be preferential for a headstrong guard who thinks of himself as a future all-star, but he’d be joining an organization with the type of franchise player he needs to play next to, everything he’d need on offense and defense, and a bright, bright future. Boston is his best fit. It just makes too much sense.

Learn more about Cole Anthony with our full scouting report.