Carmelo Anthony: Why His Early Struggles Won't Last

The New York Knicks, for better or worse, are currently built around star forward Carmelo Anthony‘s ability to put the ball in the basket at a high level.

So far this season, he hasn’t exactly looked the part of the superstar that Knicks fans know him to be. Through the first two games of the season, Anthony has averaged 18.0 points per game on an abysmal 32.6 percent shooting from the field, including an absolutely horrid 8.3 percent shooting from the three-point line.

The question is, why has Anthony struggled shooting from the field more than usual?

There are two main reasons, one being that he’s coming off a significant injury that he suffered last season, and the other being his poor shot selection of late.

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Anthony required surgery last year after suffering a knee injury. A lot of those surgeries can require extensive rehabilitation and a decent amount of time spent off of the knee itself. Naturally, this is going to impede any kind of workouts Melo usually does to keep himself in playing shape.

Long story short, Anthony is out of shape and it’s going to take time to rebuild that muscle memory in his knee to get the same lift off of it that he had before.

In New York’s game against the Atlanta Hawks Thursday night, TNT commentator Reggie Miller talked about how Melo doesn’t have the same athleticism and step that he usually does. That’s been completely true to start the season, as he’s leaned on the pump fake out of the triple threat more often than he has when he’s healthy.

Oct 28, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

All of these factors contribute to Anthony not being able to get the same shot selection that he usually does because he doesn’t have the speed and first step to get by his defender on most occasions.

Anthony is a unique NBA scoring talent because of his fluid triple threat game. He’s able to jab step and either pull-up or go around his defender, causing all kinds of mismatch problems for other teams.

When Melo is limited to just his jump shot and having to settle for long twos, it’s going to take away from his effectiveness on the floor. He’s only had a total of seven free throw attempts through two games, meaning he’s not getting to the line as he has in the past. Anthony has averaged 7.6 free throw attempts per game for his career, which is clear evidence that he’s not the same player right now on offense.

The good news for Knicks fans is that there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with Melo’s game. He’s still going to end up being one of the top options on offense in the league this year, he just has to get healthy first.

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Anthony doesn’t usually have terrible shot selection on his part. He’s at his best when he’s able to navigate the midrange and post-up at will. Both allow Melo to get better looks on the perimeter, as he forces the defense to collapse in and play off his ability to drive inside.

As soon as he can get the looks on the floor he’s used to instead of having to pull up for nothing but long contested jumpers, his scoring averages and shooting percentages will go back to what they were.

No reason to jump off the ship just yet, Knicks fans. Breathe easy knowing that your superstar is doing everything he can to recover and get back in game shape.

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Why Carmelo Anthony’s Early Season Struggles Won’t Last

By Nathan Grubel | Oct 31, 2015

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