NBA Player Power Rankings: Is the Race for MVP Over?
19. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Last Rank: No. 19
Position: Small Forward
Age: 31
Slash Line: .424/.318/.816
Season Averages: 35.1 MPG, 21.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.3 3PM
Carmelo Anthony is one of the best players to never win a championship. He’s an all-time scorer with nine All-Star Game appearances and a combined nine selections to the All-NBA Second and Third teams.
Thus, the following statement is to be taken as seriously as possible: Anthony is having one of his best individual seasons to date.
Anthony’s scoring average and efficiency have both taken a sharp dip, which can be accredited to his minor injuries and a trying recovery from knee surgery. He’s averaging a career-best 4.2 assists per game, however, and is proving his worth as a selfless playmaker.
Most importantly, Anthony is playing the best defense of his career.
Anthony is currently holding opponents to 40.0 percent shooting from the field, per NBA.com. That’s a drop-off of 5.1 percent from the opposition’s average field goal percentage, and it comes with New York challenging Anthony to defend his position.
With his 32nd birthday nearing, Anthony is playing the type of style that would make him the perfect member of a Big Three.
Next: No. 18