After the New York Knicks dealt Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the many concerns that emerged was the role the 10-time All-Star will play in a lineup that will feature another star small forward in Paul George.
That question, however, has an answer now as Thunder head coach billy donovan revealed that he plans to start Anthony at the four spot, per ESPN’s Royce Young.
Billy Donovan on if Melo is indeed starting: “He’s going to start the power forward spot for us. That’s what he’s going to do.”
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) September 26, 2017
Following his trade to the Thunder, Anthony said he’s willing to play as the power forward and contribute to the team’s scoring. And according to Young, the 33-year-old doubled down on that and claimed he actually likes to play the position.
Melo on playing 4: “I have no problem playing the 4. I actually like that, actually embrace that. For this team, I think it will be better.”
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) September 25, 2017
Anthony is no longer new to playing the power forward post, as he spent the majority of his minutes at the four during his earlier years in New York. However, it’s still unknown if he will mesh well with other high-usage players like George and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook.
There are certainly plenty of questions that remain for Oklahoma and their newly-formed Big Three ahead of the 2017-18 season. Nonetheless, it’s undoubtedly a good start that Anthony has a clear understanding of what role he needs to fulfill to help the team contend for the NBA title.