No longer defending Carmelo Anthony because he’s still not defending
I once wrote that Carmelo Anthony was the best pure scorer in the NBA. I still don’t think I was wrong to write it, at the time. When a freshman ‘Melo helped Syracuse win the NCAA title in 2003, it was one of the best nights of my life — a life that had been filled with sports heartache, the side effect of being a sports fan growing up in Western New York. The latter probably unfairly biased the former, but I’ve been around the NBA enough to know that it wasn’t that much of a stretch to crown Anthony as the best pure scorer in the NBA at the time.
Except, I’m done being a ‘Melo apologist, deflecting Anthony antagonizers any time they question his bonafides. I’m no longer a Carmelo defender; How can I defend someone who doesn’t defend? I’m done looking at him as an elite talent, someone who can be the best player on a championship-winning team. He can’t, and now I’m not even sure if he ever could.
If he still won’t defend, despite seeming to improve his effort on that end early last season, then I’m done defending him to NBA watchers.
Anthony’s NBA career has been filled primarily with scoring. It’s also been filled with his Jordan Brand signature kicks, a “stop snitchin’” cameo, found cannabis in a backpack at the airport (his buddy took the fall, like a good buddy), a series of first-round exits in the Western playoffs before Chauncey Billups helped him lead Denver to the Conference Finals in 2009, a trade demand from Denver to New York, one playoff series win in three playoff appearances ever since Denver dealt him for a poo-poo platter of young talent (including Danilo Gallnari) six seasons ago, and his recent social activism online and in real life. But, on the court, its been about scoring, at a solid clip: 23.6 points per game for his career.
He can score in a myriad of different ways, too: the pull-up jumper, probably his favorite, the transition three — where he lumbers a bit behind the play and steps into the shot as he’s coming up on the arc. He’s also quick for his size, with a little jab sufficing for separation at the elbow because defenders are so weary of his explosiveness to the rim. When he was younger, he’d rush past any opposing small forward who crowded him the moment he’d turn and catch the ball; it felt unfair at the time, like an engaged LeBron still feels now. Sometimes, after the trade to the Knicks, when Anthony pivots to take that turnaround jumper from the left block, Madison Square Garden fans swear Bernard King has possessed his body for a few moments— such is the beauty of that smooth shooting motion and unruffled footwork.
But offense, while the sexy half of basketball, is still just half. And Carmelo Anthony isn’t bringing it enough on the other end to warrant any sort of spot in the All-Star game or on the short list of NBA superstars.
This isn’t new. He’s always been prone to loafing on the defensive end. No one switches more off-ball screens than ‘Melo, and watching him exclusively on that end can be a study in on-and-off again effort. This season has been even worse. He’s got a negative defensive box plus-minus, which isn’t that big of a deal, except that he’s second-to-last on the Knicks roster in that respect.
And it’s not like he’s guarding the opponent’s best player, either. Here he is losing Justin Anderson for a pair of open corner 3-pointers on the near side during New York’s recent game against Dallas:
And when the shooter is a little more accurate, like with Norman Powell when the Knicks went against the Raptors, Anthony’s laissez-faire attitude defending the arc led to a pair of easy 3-pointers in that same nearside corner:
Carmelo gets stymied both times by a big who simply moves between him and his man when he’s hedging towards the lane in a help position. That’s the proper way to defend when on the weak side, but not if you get caught unable to get back in time.
This is a combination of mental laziness and aging. The aging part has to do with ‘Melo’s ability to navigate around the big man who simply stands between him and the man he’s guarding. Somehow, that’s enough to prevent Carmelo from really challenging the shot. The lazy part comes from the fact that he even allowed himself to get into that position in the first place. He’s so used to guarding ho-hum players who spend the majority of their time away from the action, he’s lost in a reverie of ball watching and — at least in the case of Powell — they made him pay for it.
That’s not all. He can be totally unaware of who is standing outside the arc, and almost dare good shooters to pull the trigger. Justin Anderson is one thing, but Eric Gordon — a career 38.4 percent 3-point shooter who is connecting on over 41 percent from downtown this season — was ignored on this play after Anthony was switched onto him and failed to get into his mug beyond the arc.
Or how about his lackluster pick-and-roll defense, specifically when his man is setting the pick. Look what happens when an injury-ravaged Pistons lineup deliberately brought ‘Melo’s man, Marcus Morris, up to the top of the key to set the screen for Ish Smith.
‘Melo isn’t able to lock and trail Marcus through a brutally effective Andre Drummond pindown on the near side, and by the time he gets free to help on Morris’ pick, Ish has already turned the corner, shed his defender Derrick Rose, and is on his way to a relatively simple lefty layup.
A lot of the numbers will say that Anthony is a decent enough defender, and that’s true. Synergy says he’s “good” this year, in the 53rd percentile league-wide. He’s “good” in spot-up situations,and opponents are shooting worse when he’s defending, per SportVU tracking data. But Anthony is too good a player to just be good, and the same lazy traits that have afflicted him on defense throughout his career — a lack of contesting long-range shots, too easily being caught up in screens, ball watching on the weak side, and impotent swipes at the ball instead of smart help defense — all continue to plague him.
I still enjoy watching Carmelo Anthony on offense, especially when he goes on his little mini runs with three or four baskets in a row, usually on long-range 2-pointers. I like watching smooth shooting, just like most people. But I’m done defending Melo to his detractors. He doesn’t give a damn about defending well enough for me to continue to defend him.
