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NBA Player Power Rankings: Kevin Durant Surpassing LeBron?

By Maxwell Ogden

Dec 17, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 23, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts from the bench during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets won 97-84. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts from the bench during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets won 97-84. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

20. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks

Last Rank: No. 20

Position: Small Forward

Age: 31

Slash Line: .428/.330/.820

Season Averages: 34.6 MPG, 21.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.3 3PM

As if returning from knee surgery wasn’t enough, Carmelo Anthony has battled a number of injuries throughout the 2015-16 regular season. None have been severe, but it’s never easy to overcome nagging injuries with the type of workload Anthony endures.

He slips down the list because of a string of recent poor performances, but his place in the Top 20 remains.

Anthony is a dynamic scoring threat who has embraced his need to facilitate and defend. He’s holding opponents to 38.8 percent shooting in 2015-16, per NBA.com, which is evidence enough of how committed he is to making the Knicks relevant again.

In his 13th NBA season, Anthony is also dishing out a career-best 4.1 assists per game.

His scoring and efficiency numbers have suffered, but there’s no way around how dominant he can be when aggressive. Anthony’s ability to space the floor, go to the post, and attack off the bounce is exactly what makes him a franchise player.

The question is, can Anthony live up to the hype and get New York into the playoffs?

Next: The Size of the Fight in the Dog