Carmelo Anthony is in a bizarre point of his career. Everyone can see that he is still an elite athlete, but nobody wants to take a risk on him.
Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter believes it's crazy Melo is still without a team at this point in the offseason. In an appearance on FS1's First Things First, Kanter shared his belief that Anthony should be able to make a 15-man roster in the league.
"So you're telling me a guy like Melo can't make a 15-man roster on 30 teams? It's definitely crazy. Melo belongs in the NBA and he can still get 15-20 points." — @EnesKanter pic.twitter.com/En9wfLmBb6
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 28, 2019
Plenty of NBA teams could use an instant 15-20 points a game. In fact, these numbers are what could win or lose tight games. Carmelo Anthony is such an elite scorer that doing this is not a problem for him.
However, it's telling that Gregg Popovich's Team USA didn't even add him to the shortlist. Scoring does win games, but it takes more than that to have a successful career in today's NBA landscape.
Melo has never been a good defender, and his declining athleticism is only making those deficiencies obvious. Coaches who could use his scoring will want him to start off the bench, but there are plenty of reasons why the third overall pick in the 2003 Draft refuses to be a role player.
If Carmelo Anthony continues to act this way, it's only a matter of time before scouts, coaches and fans actually forget he exists. Nobody disagrees with Kanter: Melo is still one of the best athletes to ever shoot the basketball. However, he must change his ways or he will become irrelevant in a fast-paced and cutthroat league.
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