Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Cole Anthony mocked out of Top 10

By Nick Delahanty

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts following a play against the Virginia Tech Hokies during their game in the first round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts following a play against the Virginia Tech Hokies during their game in the first round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Prior to arriving in Chapel Hill, Cole Anthony was expected to be a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft. Is the former UNC basketball star’s stock dropping?

With the NBA Draft scheduled for October 16th, the league recently held its draft lottery. Officially, we now know the full draft order (barring any trades) as we inch closer to draft night. In case you missed it, here’s the set order for the teams getting a pick in this year’s draft lottery portion of the first round:

  1. Minnesota Timberwolves
  2. Golden State Warriors
  3. Charlotte Hornets
  4. Chicago Bulls
  5. Cleveland Cavaliers
  6. Atlanta Hawks
  7. Detroit Pistons
  8. New York Knicks
  9. Washington Wizards
  10. Phoenix Suns
  11. San Antonio Spurs
  12. Sacramento Kings
  13. New Orleans Pelicans
  14. Boston Celtics (from Memphis Grizzlies)

Now that we know the order, expect to see a lot of mock draft predictions over the next few weeks. These mock drafts are used as “draft experts” look to decipher what teams will do with their first round selections.

These are always subject to change, and will definitely alter as get closer to the draft. For Tar Heel fans, there’s one player they should keep an eye out for. Unlike last year, the Tar Heels only have one projected first round talent: Cole Anthony.

Anthony is a very interesting case. Prior to arriving at Chapel Hill, the “one-and-done” guard was often regarded as a future lottery pick. There was even some speculation that Anthony could go in the draft’s top-5, and could possibly be considered as the top pick in his draft class.

However, a season full of injuries and struggles all around at North Carolina may have altered that a bit. In the first set of released mock drafts, there’s a mix of predictions as to where Anthony could land. Although the predictions are varied, one thing is common: not one mock draft sees Anthony being selected higher than No. 10 overall.

Thanks to Sports Illustrated’s Isaac Schade, here’s where the first set of mock drafts predict Anthony to be drafted:

NBC Sports (James Ham) – 10 (Suns)
CBS Sports (Gary Parrish) – 11 (Spurs)
CBS Sports (Kyle Boone) – 12 (Kings)
NetScouts Basketball (Carl Berman) – 12 (Kings)
The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor) – 14 (Celtics)
SB Nation (Ricky O’Donnell) – 14 (Celtics)
Yahoo Sports (Krysten Peek) – 14 (Celtics)
ESPN (Jonathan Givony) – 15 (Magic)
SportsIllustrated.com (Jeremy Woo) – 15 (Magic)
Forbes.com (Tommy Beer) – 16 (Trail Blazers)
NBADraftRoom.com – 17 (Timberwolves)
The Athletic (Sam Vecenie) – 19 (Nets)
Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wasserman) – 20 (Heat)
Tankathon – 20 (Heat)
NBADraft.net – 21 (76ers)

Early on, it appears as if there is a lot of uncertainty regarding Anthony’s draft status. Some see him as a lottery pick, while others view him as a player who could potentially slide on draft night.

One thing is for certain: Cole Anthony is a first round talent. The 20-year-old will hear his name at some point during the first round of the NBA Draft; it just remains to be seen what team takes a chance on the talented guard.

Next. UNC Basketball: Hunter Sallis trims list to 12 schools. dark

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team as we continue to provide you with the latest predictions and updates regarding Cole Anthony’s NBA Draft status, as well as everything UNC basketball.

Home/UNC Basketball