#TBT- Carmelo Anthony, SF, New York Knicks
@Hoover__26 November 12
Carmelo is the heart of the Knicks. He is an incredible scorer, a strong rebounder, and a perennial All-Star. He is the driving force behind many of the Knicks’ wins. However, a heart can sometimes skip a beat or two. While Melo is the driving force behind New York’s success, he can also be a detriment. In his last full season (2013-14), Carmelo led the league in field goals missed and minutes per game, and 13th in win shares (basketball-reference.com).
Carmelo has always been a prolific scorer. He has a career points per game average of over twenty-five, a three point percentage of .345, and a free throw percentage of over eighty. He can play the stretch four, as well as the three. He is the ultimate offensive weapon. Not to mention the fact that he has been a top fantasy option for pretty much his entire career. However, he sometimes is his own worst nightmare. While he isn’t an extremely inefficient player, he will take shots that some people might call “heat checks” after missing his last three. Much of this may have to do with the fact that he has long been the lone scorer on his team. I don’t care who you are, you need a team around you. No matter what anyone says, LeBron needed Bosh and Wade to win his titles in Miami. And, with this year’s Knicks looking no better than the team that lost 65 games last year (besides Melo being healthy), Carmelo was drafted around the same time as guys like Serge Ibaka and Rudy Gobert (espn.com). Surprisingly, the 4-5 Knicks look a lot better than last year’s awful display, and Melo is averaging 22.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. While his scoring may be down a bit in his age 31 season, I actually think that may be a good thing for fantasy owners. You may be thinking, what? Less scoring is better for owners? I may sound nuts, but hear me out. Carmelo’s slightly lowered scoring and guys like Kris Porzingis averaging 11.6 points, and Langston Galloway averaging 11.3 points, can only mean one thing. The load has been lightened a bit for Carmelo, which means he doesn’t have to put up thirty shots in a game. That means that he is free to take better shots, avoid constant double-teams, and increase his numbers in other statistical categories.
Carmelo is a great player, and is still changing even at age thirty-one. Keep an eye on Melo, he looks to have a throwback year for your fantasy team!
Carmelo has always been a prolific scorer. He has a career points per game average of over twenty-five, a three point percentage of .345, and a free throw percentage of over eighty. He can play the stretch four, as well as the three. He is the ultimate offensive weapon. Not to mention the fact that he has been a top fantasy option for pretty much his entire career. However, he sometimes is his own worst nightmare. While he isn’t an extremely inefficient player, he will take shots that some people might call “heat checks” after missing his last three. Much of this may have to do with the fact that he has long been the lone scorer on his team. I don’t care who you are, you need a team around you. No matter what anyone says, LeBron needed Bosh and Wade to win his titles in Miami. And, with this year’s Knicks looking no better than the team that lost 65 games last year (besides Melo being healthy), Carmelo was drafted around the same time as guys like Serge Ibaka and Rudy Gobert (espn.com). Surprisingly, the 4-5 Knicks look a lot better than last year’s awful display, and Melo is averaging 22.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. While his scoring may be down a bit in his age 31 season, I actually think that may be a good thing for fantasy owners. You may be thinking, what? Less scoring is better for owners? I may sound nuts, but hear me out. Carmelo’s slightly lowered scoring and guys like Kris Porzingis averaging 11.6 points, and Langston Galloway averaging 11.3 points, can only mean one thing. The load has been lightened a bit for Carmelo, which means he doesn’t have to put up thirty shots in a game. That means that he is free to take better shots, avoid constant double-teams, and increase his numbers in other statistical categories.
Carmelo is a great player, and is still changing even at age thirty-one. Keep an eye on Melo, he looks to have a throwback year for your fantasy team!