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Weeks after signing Myles Turner and releasing Damian Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks added guards Cole Anthony and Gary Harris in free agency. General manager Jon Horst explains that he made the move to build around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Horst said that while Anthony cannot simply replace a player like Lillard, he believes the former first-round pick still has a high ceiling, he told ‘The Athletic.'
“The idea on Cole is, and you can see a theme, there's another 24-, 25-year-old guard,” Horst told ‘The Athletic.' “He just turned 25 in May. Cole's an electric scorer. Two years ago, he was in the running for NBA Sixth Man of the Year. In our system, in our metrics, he's performed like a kind of starter, key reserve at different points in his young career.”
By releasing Lillard, the Bucks have an opening at point guard they have yet to fill. Anthony, who averaged 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in his career-best 2021-2022 season, is the leading candidate to fill the void.
Barring any further moves, Anthony will likely compete with 2025 Summer League star Jamaree Bouyea and rookie Mark Sears for point guard minutes. Harris, Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr. will also factor into the backcourt rotation.
Bucks GM Jon Horst compares Cole Anthony to Bobby Portis
While Anthony will have to compete in training camp, Milwaukee is already bullish on his role with the team. Horth added that he sees Anthony as a “guard version of Bobby Portis” on the Bucks.
“I think he can be one of the guys that you’ve seen year in and year out come into our system and get a higher dose of better shot quality because of playing with Giannis and playing in our system and improve as a shooter,” Horth said. “I think he could have a huge shooting year, which would be massive for him and us.
“And he’s just got an edge to him. I hope he takes this as an affectionate thing. When I saw the idea of Cole Anthony, him being free and our chance to get him, I think he’s like a guard version of Bobby Portis. I think he can bring so much swag and energy to our team.”
Anthony has never been known as an elite shooter. The former five-star recruit has hit just 34.5 percent of his career three-point attempts. However, few players create space quite like Giannis Antetokounmpo. Anthony is coming off a 35.3 percent three-point season, the second-best of his career.
