How the face of two NBA franchises, Carmelo Anthony, adapt to a bench role with the Lakers so effectively?
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Very rarely does it happen in a game that a franchise player takes on a bench role and aces that as well. We’ve seen the other way around more often from the likes of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and many others who started their career off the bench and then became stars of their franchise.
Carmelo Anthony comes from a different class. By class we mean, the 2003 Draft class of the NBA. In the draft which also had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, Melo was the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets.
Anthony took no time to settle in the NBA. In his first season he averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds a game. Since then he never had trouble consistently getting buckets.
The offensive savant scored 20 or more points for 15 straight seasons, being the team’s best player in Denver for 8 years and then in New York for the next seven.
The guy who troubled Gregg Popovic was out of the league in 2019
Carmelo Anthony who was a “pain in the a*# wherever he played” to Greg Popovic, has to be one the best scorers ever. Pop has openly admitted that he was sick of making new defensive schemes for Melo whenever his Spurs faced him.
Throughout his career, Anthony scored on his will. The NBA’s top-75 players of all time recently passed Moses Malone on the all-time scoring list and now sits at ninth.
But there was a time when it looked like the 2013 scoring champ would not make it to the top-10 All-time list just because he was not seen as a first option for the team and to start from the bench the future Hall of Famer was too big a name.
But the writing was on the walls for Melo to be on the All-time scoring list because he had learned playing off the bench way back in 2012 during the Olympics. Due to the presence of LeBron James and Kevin Durant as forwards he had to come from the bench. But that didn’t stop the offensive genius to be the second top scorer, averaging 16.3 points in just 17.9 minutes a game.
Melo’s resurgence as a role player
He had mastered the trait way back but put it use in the league when he found himself out of the NBA in his 17th year for half a season after getting released by the Houston Rockets. Melo trained day in and day out to become a solid player to come off the bench and made his intentions clear before joining Damian Lillard and Co the next season.
Now enjoying his life in LA, with his fellow draftee LeBron James, Melo is the most important player for the Lakers off the bench. The team has won just 2 games out of their 20 when Melo has scored less than 14 points.
“I’m still here doing it,” the 37-year-old Anthony said to ESPN. “I think that’s what I’m honestly excited about. I’m here in Year 19 still doing what I’m able to do. Still passionate about the game. Still passionate about coming to work every day and getting better.”
The Olympic legend who once scored 37 points in 14 minutes and 29 seconds for team USA, is averaging 15 points a game for the Lakers in 28 minutes. Also shooting the lights out from the perimeter at 46.1% which is career-high.
Melo is in a Championship contending team for the first time in his career and he’s playing like it. He’d hope the guys with bigger responsibilities show up and win him his fir ever ring.
