The Oklahoma City Thunder will have to appease three superstars this season. How can they incorporate the newly acquired Carmelo Anthony? Here are five ways Billy Donovan can use Anthony in the lineup.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made their second blockbuster trade of the offseason this past weekend. After acquiring Paul George from the Indiana Pacers right before free agency, the Thunder struck again right before training camp.
In addition to George, Oklahoma City also traded for Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks. With their moves this offseason, the front office has provided reigning MVP and triple-double machine, Russell Westbrook, legitimate running mates.
Westbrook’s triple-doubles will probably come down a little this season, but he should still provide some monster stat lines playing against players as talented as George and Anthony. There will have to be some adjustments from everyone, but Anthony will have arguably the biggest adjustment.
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Anthony has always been the guy ever since he entered the NBA. He has averaged over 20 points per game every season in his career and is a scoring machine. He will still get his chances with the Thunder, but they will not be as frequent. Anthony was a volume shooter and scorer every season previously in his career, but that will not be the case with the Thunder.
With the Thunder, Anthony will probably be the third option. It will be something he has to get used to. Billy Donovan will have his hands full trying to figure things out, but there are multiple ways that he can go in trying to appease everyone.
It will not be easy, but Donovan will have to figure out a way to employ Anthony to fit in along with Westbrook and George. All three have experience sharing the court with superstars from international competition. That should help in this scenario.
How can Donovan go about it? Here are five ways that Anthony can be incorporated into the Thunder’s lineup.