New York Knicks: Is Carmelo Anthony the Best One-on-One Player in the NBA?
By Joel Gibson
Carmelo Anthony has always been a gifted scorer. This year he has finally won his first scoring title while averaging 28.7 points per game this season in one of the closest scoring races in recent history with the three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant (28.1 points per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field, 90 percent from the free-throw line and 40 percent from 3-point range this season.)
Kevin Durant’s rise to stardom has been one of the greatest obstacles Carmelo Anthony had to overcome in order to win his first-ever scoring title. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
When you ask around about Carmelo Anthony you will most likely get a variety of different opinions. Some recognize Carmelo as the most creative and versatile scorer in the game. Others claim that Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA’s most overrated players. Others still will tell you that what Carmelo Anthony brings on the offensive side of the game is deterred by his defense. Where does he really rank?
One of the most respected players in the history of the game,Kobe Bryant, offered some insight to ESPNNewYork.com by saying, “He’s always been a player that I enjoyed guarding the most. He was the most difficult to guard because of his size and speed.”
Kobe Bryant is just one of many who recognizes how Carmelo Anthony might be the toughest cover in the league. Photo Credit: Keith Allison (Flickr.com)
A compliment from one of the greatest scorers of all time does not come lightly. The only player Kobe Bryant might fear guarding more in a one-on-one match is himself. Bryant blatantly said this season, “I’m the best to ever do it” when discussing one-on-one basketball.
It is possible that Kobe Bryant in his prime was the greatest one-on-one player ever. Today though, with Kobe Bryant’s unfortunate injury and age catching up with him, perhaps that title belongs to someone else now.
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most complete scorers in the game. He is dangerous anywhere on the floor. When he posts up Carmelo has an array of different post-moves as well as exceptional strength to finish against defenders of all kinds.
His favorite spot on the floor might be the corner-wing. From there, Carmelo can use his lethal ball-handling skills and quickness to beat defenders off the dribble.
Carmelo’s ball-handling skills also boast a wide variety of spin moves, where he moves with ease to the basket against opposing perimeter defenders.
He can draw fouls or he can use his laser-point-accurate jump shot. In addition to all this, Carmelo has a quick release and has become even more dangerous and confident on the perimeter this season (he is launching a career high 6.2 3s per game this season, according to basketball-reference.com.
Carmelo Anthony has even made improvements on the defensive end of the floor this season. He may not be the among the league’s elite defenders, but clearly the defensively oriented Mike Woodson has been a revelation to other side of Anthony’s game.
The other most widely regarded flaw with Carmelo Anthony’s game is his notorious “shoot-first, second and third” mentality. This season Anthony’s assist average is down to 2.6 per game. With the Knicks newly found kick-and-spread offense, it appears that his passing has improved, although the numbers do not show it. He is slowly closing all the holes in his game and becoming the player we have been longing for him to become.
Woodson has even put Carmelo Anthony in a new role on offense where he is seeing extended minutes at the power-forward position. Anthony has been stellar in his new role and taken his offense to another level while causing severe match-up issues for opposing teams.
Carmelo Anthony has taken his game to another level this season. Photo Credit: Scott Mecum, Flickr.com
When you evaluate all of Carmelo’s strengths in scoring the ball it is hard not to argue that he is the best one-on-one player in the league. In fact, even prior to Kobe Bryant’s injury Carmelo Anthony has several advantages over Kobe Bryant (namely his strength and size).
As a scorer (the most essential part to being successful in one-on-one play) there is no player more dangerous than Carmelo Anthony in the NBA. Kevin Durant is nipping at his heals with his extreme length and vast array of skills but lacks the strength to stop Anthony in the post. LeBron James is still a pass-first player on offense. Kobe Bryant is injured. Is there really any debate as to who the best one-on-one player in the league is now?
Carmelo Anthony loves to go up against great competition and since entering the league has been one of the most dangerous isolation scorers in the game. He without a question would be one of deadly in a game of one-on-one. In fact, it is hard to doubt his title right now as the league’s best one-on-one player now that he has acquired his first scoring title (which only confirmed what we already knew in his abilities to score the ball). What remains unclear is how long he will be able to hold onto his title with so many young stars on the rise such as Kevin Durant.