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Much hoopla has been made about the Oklahoma City Thunder and how their three stars — Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook — aren't getting the respect of the referees. George said as much quite recently.
There were numbers to dispute George's claims that pointed to him being fouled at the rim at the highest rate in the NBA among players who hit a certain threshold of attempts in that area. But Royce Young of ESPN did some research and may have found evidence that Anthony could be getting shafted.
Per Young:
Carmelo Anthony hasn't taken a free throw in his last 74 minutes. He's taken two in his last 148 minutes. In the month of February, he took eight total.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) March 3, 2018
Anthony averages 32.3 minutes per game, per Basketball-Reference. That's a lot of games not getting to the free-throw line at a high rate. But the fact that he only took eight in an entire month of games is astonishing.
Is that because of the referees not giving him the proper calls? Maybe. However, it can also be because for some time now, Anthony has become more of a jump-shooting player rather than a driver or slasher. That will naturally result in less free throws.
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The referee argument is always a tired one, as it is a very difficult job to have. More often than not, referees do a great job and make the right calls.
Yes, calls get missed, but that happens in every sport at every level, and at times referees just don't have the proper angles to make a call that might be obvious to people watching from completely different angles.
Be that as it may, Anthony has to find a way to get to the free throw line more often. It helps his offense and that of the Thunder. He is getting up there in age, and there are some who think Anthony is washed up.
If Anthony finds a way to up his attempts at the charity stripe in the playoffs, the Thunder will have a good chance at making some noise there.
