With the Portland Trail Blazers' offseason haul and their new and improved players, there's a good chance that Carmelo Anthony will come off the bench—a role that he has vehemently shunned in the past.
In the coming 2020-21 NBA season, the Blazers will have plenty of options at the forward spot: Robert Covington, Derrick Jones Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Rodney Hood and Nassir Little. Now, according to Blazers president Neil Olshey, these options will force Anthony to take on a bench role for the first time in his career.
However, that doesn't mean that he'll be less productive.
“Melo understands right now,” the Blazers exec said, per Jamie Hudson of NBC Sports. “He’ll probably come off the bench. I think he can be featured more with the second unit. Depending who starts at three, we assume it’s Cov and Derrick, there may not be as many shots there for him. So being able to feature him with the second group, getting him some post ups, have him be more of a target for plays with that second group, probably gives him a higher usage.”
Carmelo Anthony's persistence to remain a starter has been a subject of discussions and debates in the past. Ahead of his lone season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Anthony infamously laughed at the question about whether or not he'll accept a bench role. This alone became a topic of controversy, as analysts believed that it was time for Anthony to step back.
In his short stint with the Houston Rockets, Anthony played just 10 games (two starts). Reports reveal that the team felt pressured to take him out of the rotation because of his future Hall-of-Famer status. With that, they dropped him instead.
Melo recently re-signed with the Blazers despite being linked with his former team, the New York Knicks. After all, with the Blazers, Anthony sort of rejuvenated his career after a one-year absence.
He played and started 58 games and averaged 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds across 32.8 minutes. Not only did the 10-time All-Star remain an offensive threat, but he also knocked down some critical shots in the playoffs.
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