Melbourne United forward Joe Ingles recently discussed what he would say if an NBA team contacted him about the possibility of bringing in Cole Anthony.
(via The Aussie Hoops Hour Podcast):
“I mean, yes. I would have said that before he got here. Obviously, I got to play with him in Orlando. I mean, I wouldn’t even say the Orlando situation was tough, but we had a lot of guards in that group that we were with. I think there’s no question in my mind Cole’s an NBA player. A lot of the time when I don’t think people understand, I had the same situation. It’s a big situational thing, too, in the NBA. Finding the right organization, finding the right coach, the right GM, all those different things. And like I said, there’s no doubt he’s an NBA player. It’s finding that right fit, and I think whether it’s after this year or whatever timeframe it is, Cole will be back in the NBA and he’ll be playing a big role on an NBA team.
“And yeah, like I said, the situational stuff in the NBA is massive. You see it: guys will be playing a certain role somewhere, go somewhere else, and absolutely, they look like a whole different player. I think Orlando was great early on. And then they had a lot of draft picks, had drafted a lot of guards. That puts you in a tough position. And so, he’s coming off the bench after averaging 16, 17 [points] a game as a starter. That was when we were there. My message to him then was like, ‘Go be Sixth Man of the Year. Go be aggressive.’ And that’s what we need him to do here, obviously from a starting point of view. Like, ‘Go be aggressive. Go score the ball. And then get your teammates involved, do all that.’ And if he does that, which he knows he can do, he’ll be right back there.”
