Should the OKC Thunder try moving Carmelo Anthony to small forward?

With the Oklahoma City Thunder on the borderline of missing the playoffs, a change in the lineup is necessary. Moving Carmelo Anthony to small forward is one option.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are seventh in the Western Conference standings and are on a two-game losing streak. Things are getting bad, and a change could help the team. One option to look at is moving Carmelo Anthony to the small forward position.

Carmelo Anthony is a 10-time All-Star, six-time All NBA selection and a scoring champ from the 2012-13 season — most of which came at the small forward position.

After a 3-pointer against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, Anthony passed Jerry West to make it into the top 20 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

In his time with the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, Anthony never had a season where he averaged less than 20 points per game.

Most of his points, except in recent seasons, came from the small forward position though. The Thunder have to consider moving Anthony to the 3-spot to help spark their offense.

Here’s how the starting lineup would look with Melo playing small forward:

• PG: Russell Westbrook
• SG: Paul George
• SF: Carmelo Anthony
• PF: Patrick Patterson
• C: Steven Adams

This lineup maximizes the Thunder’s offensive and defensive capability.

They have Paul George at the shooting guard spot to find a true replacement for Andre Roberson, along with his offensive capability at the 2. Meanwhile, Patrick Patterson is a bigger body at the power forward position. He can also be a good two way player.

.Patterson’s improved play recently will help make the transition smoother too. Last month, he scored in double figures in three games, which doesn’t sound like much, but was the most in a month for him this season.

Carmelo is 6’8″. At the small forward position, his jump shot was effective because it’s a quick release and he is taller than most defenders, but as a small-ball 4, Anthony has players that are 6’10” and up guarding him.

Teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, who had a twin tower in DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis, created matchup problems for the Thunder.

That forced tougher shots, as Anthony likes to post up and face up in the mid-range. Anthony is not the quickest of drivers either, so his smaller frame is not an advantage in that aspect.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Moving Carmelo to the small forward position moves George to the shooting guard position, which means he has easier matchups too.

Spacing is key in the NBA. If there is no space, then there is no room for drives and there is no ability to score.

With Anthony and George now on the wing, the defense will have to respect both sides of the court. With George and Roberson on the wing, there was no respect for one side, which sometimes led to rotations that could clog up the lane.

Patrick Patterson is also a threat to shoot the 3, so that will cause more rotation problems.

Teams that can stretch the floor and have four scoring options in their starting lineup are the best teams in the league (Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors).

The Thunder would have five scoring options in the starting lineup, as Steven Adams has gone for 20-plus in quite a few games this season. Having a roll man and rim-runner like him and surrounding him with Russell Westbrook’s driving ability and three perimeter shooters would maximize their offensive ability.

Next: 2017-18 Week 21 NBA Power Rankings

If the Thunder do this, they can create matchup problems for the defense and make it hard for teams to create spacial problems that helped the defense guard the Thunder before.