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NBA Draft 2020: What Cole Anthony’s return did for his draft stock

By Michael Walton

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Cole Anthony #2 talks with head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game against the Boston College Eaglesat the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Cole Anthony #2 talks with head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game against the Boston College Eaglesat the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Cole Anthony
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 15: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

NBA Draft prospect Cole Anthony made a successful return to the court against Boston College on Saturday night, racking up 26 points in a one-point loss.

North Carolina point guard and 2020 NBA Draft prospect Cole Anthony made a triumphant return to the court on Saturday night. To be fair, Anthony’s return was by no means as triumphant as it could’ve been, as the Tar Heels took another loss that all but dooms any sliver of NCAA tournament hopes they had left and doesn’t bode well for their NIT chance either (though I fully expect UNC to get into the NIT if they want to).

Anthony missed 11-straight games after having surgery on his right knee for a partially torn meniscus. Coming back, the main things to look for were any noticeable changes in explosiveness or aggression—especially in terms of getting to the rim—from Anthony. His defense had always been solid, another thing expected to take a hit with this injury. Of course, it will take some time to see Anthony 100% back to his old self but he passed with flying colors in his first test.

The Tar Heels were 4-7 sans Anthony, including one stretch where they lost five straight ACC games. To say Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams was excited to get Anthony back would be the understatement of our still very fresh decade. Any chance the Tar Heels have of successfully playing any sort of postseason basketball is tied to Anthony sticking things out with the Tar Heels for the rest of the season and it has a clear benefit for him as well, as he gets an opportunity to show NBA scouts that he is fully recovered from his arthroscopic procedure.

So despite the Tar Heels falling in a close game to a lesser opponent, NBA draft evaluators were simply thrilled to get see Anthony in action no matter the competition level.

So after racking up 26 points in a close loss, what did we learn about Cole Anthony’s 2020 NBA Draft stock?

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