Carmelo Anthony willingly made the transition from a go-to scorer to the third option with his new team, as Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan envisioned the majority of ball-handling duties going to Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
But during his short stint with the team, Anthony has proved largely ineffective as a role player, leading one NBA executive to believe he is nothing more than a bench player at this point of his career.
“I just don’t think he fits,” said one league executive, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
A scout echoed a similar sentiment, pointing at his usual style of play.
“He’s a streak shooter,” said the scout. “He’s a rhythm player. He needs the ball, even though it stops with him.”
A marginal three-point shooter who no longer is allowed to pick apart defenses with isolation exploits, Anthony has little to offer at the defensive end, taking a huge dip in his rebounding averages as well.
“Carmelo now at his best, and this isn’t taking anything away from his prior accomplishments, he’s a bench guy,” the same executive said.
Anthony's predicament is the result of a front office that just got too greedy at the wrong time.
The Thunder had seen the Houston Rockets load up by acquiring Chris Paul in the offseason, also netting some key three-and-D free agents to bolster their roster. Upon scoring George (their first big-time free agent in OKC history), they chased after Melo, sweeping the rug from underneath the Rockets and acquiring his services.
Yet Donovan's request is simply trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, asking an old dog to learn new tricks. While many aging stars have managed to get accustomed to life after stardom, Anthony was coming off 14 straight seasons averaging 20 points or more, putting him along greats like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant as the only players to ever do it through their careers.
Already with two ball-dominant stars in Westbrook and George, there is simply not enough of it to share with Anthony — who has seen the worst end of this season-long adaptation process despite his willingness to win.
Follow Us
Subscribe