The Evolution Of Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony has, in most fans eyes, been a disappointment as a New York Knick.
Despite leading the Knicks to three playoff appearances, including their first in six years, many New Yorkers expected the arrival of Melo to signal a new golden age for their Knicks when he was traded from Denver to the Big Apple in 2011. Many wanted to overlook what Anthony actually is, and instead hope for what he could be–a star capable of leading the Knicks to a championship.
Essentially, fans’ expectations were for LeBron James, Eater of Worlds.
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That is not what they got.
No, the Knicks got Carmelo Anthony, the superstar scorer that in 2012-13 would lead the league in scoring while leading his Knicks to a 54-win season, their best since 1996-97. Still though, it wasn’t enough, as New York lost in the second round of the playoffs.
The Anthony Era in New York has been something of a letdown for many. Again, the Knicks have made three playoff appearances, but they’ve only advanced past the first round once and Carmelo himself has been a letdown to many who heralded him as a savior.
Now is it fair for fans and media to look down upon Carmelo for not single handedly dragging a franchise that for the better part of a decade had been an embarrassment to the league? Absolutely not, but this is New York, baby! So when Melo failed to be a leader on both sides of the ball, the heat was on.
Until this season, Anthony’s average plus/minus for New York stood at just plus-1.275, a number many unfairly held up against LeBron’s plus-10.375 through that time. Similarly, Carmelo’s passing would come under fire, as he averaged 498 points generated off assists over the three seasons (roughly six points per game) before his injury-riddled 2014-15 campaign.
LeBron’s number over that time? Try 1,156 PGA with 14 points per game, more than doubling Carmelo’s totals.
But how are we supposed to compare Carmelo Anthony, who by all accounts is a great player and one of the games best pure scorers ever, to LeBron James, a man many claim to be the best ever? It simply isn’t fair to do!
Anthony would again come under fire when he was somehow blamed for putting an end to Lin-Sanity in 2012 by not meshing his style with that of Jeremy Lin‘s.
That’s right, Carmelo Anthony–superstar–was blamed for not adjusting his game to fit Jeremy Lin’s, because Lin had a nice seven-game stretch. Unbelievable.
Now though, Anthony has begun to change, and so to has New York’s view of its star.
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As of this writing, the Knicks are 8-6 and on a three-game winning streak. They are in the midst of Kristaps-mania, as the 7-foot Latvian wreaks havoc on opposing teams down low.
After last season’s 17-win campaign, there is finally a buzz around the Knicks again thanks to this 19-year-old kid throwing down put-back slams like it’s his job because, well, it is his job! Imagine that, a Knick doing his job … crazy times we live in.
But it has been Carmelo Anthony who has quietly been the leader of this team, something fans have craved for since he got to New York. Finally, he’s allowing his teammates to be the centerpiece and “sit back” and watch.
By “sit back,” I mean that he’s been averaging 23 points per game on 41 percent shooting, as well as averaging 7.2 rebounds a game. Most impressive though has been the basic systematic change by which Carmelo plays the game of basketball now.
The previously extremely ball-dominant Anthony is now dishing and and getting teammates swishing, on pace for a career-high 621 PGA. His defense has improved even more drastically, however.
Before his injury last season, Anthony had a DFG% of 46 percent as teams hauled up nine shots per game against the Knicks’ supposed superstar. This season? It’s been a complete and total change, with Melo carrying a 32 percent DFG%, while teams have begun to make adjustments, only shooting eight attempts a game.
Again, it is still early in this season and we’ve seen Melo get off to these types of starts before only to relapse into his old self. But for now, Anthony seems like a changed man. He may only have a plus-1.7 when on the floor, but without him, the Knicks are at minus-2.7 without Melo on the court, the lowest of his tenure in New York.
With a young and explosive backcourt led by Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant and the human wrecking ball known as Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks needed a veteran superstar that could put it all together and lift this team to new heights. Many had their doubts, but one thing has suddenly become very clear.
Carmelo Anthony is the right man for the job.
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All statistics courtesy of NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com.