Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony is working hard on accepting his new role in the offense.
Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Carmelo Anthony has had a difficult time fitting in with his new team. Since Anthony was selected by the Denver Nuggets in 2003, and during his time with the New York Knicks, he was the go-to guy offensively.
Anthony was used to having the ball in his hands. There is a debate about how effective the offense was playing this isolation style, but there is no arguing that it is the style that Anthony thrived in. As one of the greatest scorers in the NBA, Melo was is virtually unstoppable in the mid-post and elbow area.
However, that kind of offense isn’t going to produce positive results with his new team. With the Thunder, Anthony was going to have to make some adjustments.
Not only did the Thunder have reigning MVP Russell Westbrook on the roster, they also added Paul George in a trade. With three talented offensive players, it would take some time for things to come together.
Sacrifices would have to be made. As with any organization that put together a Big Three, it takes some time. For things to work, everyone has to buy in. The high usage rates Westbrook, Anthony and George were used to having would have to become a thing of the past.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Through the majority of the season thus far, that was not happening. The Thunder have struggled offensively. It makes little sense on the outer-most layer, as Westbrook, Anthony and George are all gifted offensive players. As a result, you would think they would have a strong offense, but that has not been the case.
Oklahoma City was clicking until very recently. The Thunder look to be figuring things out, as they have won six consecutive games, and 12 of their last 15 games. That includes impressive victories over the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves.
There are a few reasons the Thunder have improved recently. One reason is Westbrook taking control. He has assumed the lead role, which has helped get things in order. Head coach Billy Donovan has also adjusted the offense, which has resulted in improved performances.
Arguably the biggest adjustment had to be made by Anthony. Used to having the ball in his hands, Anthony had to adjust to playing off the ball more.
Donovan praised Anthony’s mindset when approached with the idea. He appreciated the fact that a veteran such as Anthony was so open-minded to changing his playing style for the betterment of the team.
It is something that is difficult for any player, especially one that is set in his ways such as Anthony. He discussed the adjustment and accepting the new role.
"“I think for me it’s just a matter of accepting that role. That’s all it is,” Anthony said. “Realizing that’s what it’s going to be, these are the type of shots I’m going to get, this is the type of offense we’re going to be running and accepting that, and working on that role. That’s something that I’ve kind of been doing over the past week, is allowing myself to accept that role and do whatever I gotta do to make this team win.”"
With Anthony buying in, everything else should fall into line as well. If your best players are buying into a system, role players will follow.
Anthony accepting an off-ball role will improve the performance of the team. It is a role that we have seen Anthony excel in during international play with Team USA. That kind of performance is what many people believed we would see from Anthony, and he is beginning to show it.
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With roles being defined, the Thunder look to be turning things around. Westbrook should be the lead dog, with George right behind him. At this point in his career, being third fiddle is a role Anthony should excel in once he fully buys in, which he looks to finally be doing.