UNC Basketball: Can Cole Anthony and Garrison Brooks coexist?

The return of Cole Anthony had UNC basketball fans ecstatic to see what the Tar Heels could accomplish with a healthy star point guard, and a blossoming junior forward in Garrison Brooks.

North Carolina fans were ready to see Cole Anthony and Garrison Brooks come together and lead this group of Tar Heels. However, that hasn’t been the case thus far, and the numbers appear to back that up, as Brooks’ production has been far worse when Anthony is at the helm.

In games in which Brooks has been the lone star for the Tar Heels, he has averaged 18.9 points per game compared to the underwhelming 10.8 he averages when Anthony is in the lineup. The not-so-dynamic duo has played 11 games together, and the same amount apart. This Tar Heel team is running on fumes, and the last chance for them is contingent upon Anthony and Brooks being compatible when they are on the court together.

In the loss against Florida State, Brooks played 34 minutes and had just five points and four rebounds to show for it. He appeared disinterested and somewhat lost at times, which we haven’t seen from the junior forward in quite some time.

On the other hand, Anthony played just as poorly. He shot 5-for-22 from the floor, which comes out to a dismal 22.7 percent. He also shot just 37.5 percent from the free-throw line, and missed clutch free throws when the team needed them most.

The struggle for Brooks when Anthony to successfully coexist and play productive basketball is not all that confusing. Anthony is a ball-dominant guard that spends most of the Tar Heels’ possessions pounding the ball 30 feet from the basket. Brooks has far fewer opportunities to be effective, ultimately leading to his struggles and decrease in production.

And that’s not to put blame on either of the two players. They are both stellar talents, yet their styles of play do not elevate each other. Anthony is going to play the only way he knows how to. It’s run and gun for him with a plethora of step backs and contested layups. Brooks, on the other hand, needs to get the ball fed in to him in the paint, and use his athleticism and ability to dominate the low post.

The two need to learn to trust each other if success is the goal. They both have the ability to deplete a defense; they just need to do it together. They need to work off of each other, and grow as a duo rather than continuing to play individually.

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