The recent ESPN rankings of NBA players have put a major asterisks of how seriously fans and even experts can take efficiency numbers and advanced metrics, at times going against the common train of thought.
Many personalities, other players, including Carmelo Anthony himself, have protested his ranking of 64th in Tuesday's release of the expert poll, including him behind borderline starters like Robert Covington (ranked 55th) and only one spot above Marcus Smart, who is not even a starter.
To put things in perspective, there are only three others who have managed to average 20 or more points in every year of their career — Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan.
Few scorers have been as consistent as Melo in their careers. pic.twitter.com/8vGn9bY1nh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 13, 2017
Melo has done it for 14 straight seasons, a testament of his consistency and his reputation as a perennial scorer in this league. While many can rag on his recent decline due to injury and a misfit supporting cast assembled without much thought, Anthony has been the one constant scoring option for both of his NBA franchises during his long career.
If he scores 20 or more this season, which he has a high chance to do if he remains with the Knicks, he will tie Jordan's record of 15 straight seasons scoring 20 or more points.
Sometimes these rankings and their metrics can get so complicated that those compiling these stats can forget the most obvious of measurements, making his spot at 64 a fairly laughable judgment by ESPN, regardless of what the numbers say.
Anthony was 22nd in one of the most prolific scoring seasons in the NBA with 22.4 points per game. Neither Covington or Smart managed to top 13 points per game or crack the top 80 in scoring.
Take that for data.
Follow Us
Subscribe