There was a lot of attention given to the moves that the Los Angeles Lakers made this NBA offseason. They brought in some recognizable names, headlined by the trade for Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards.
The team signed numerous players to veteran’s minimum deals, but the best deal of the bunch thus far has been Carmelo Anthony. Anthony landed on NBA.com’s 10 players shining with new teams in the first three weeks and he has certainly earned his place on the team.
Anthony has been arguably the biggest steal of the offseason. As pointed out on NBA.com, this is the third consecutive year that Anthony is playing on a contract paying him less than he earned as a rookie 17 years ago. Los Angeles has to be happy about that as he is far exceeding expectations for a player on a minimum deal.
Melo has been shooting the lights out thus far this season. He is fourth on the team with 17.6 points per game, providing a scoring punch for the second unit. The Lakers lacked players that could create their own offense last season, and that is something Carmelo Anthony excels at despite being this late into his career.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Exec On Lakers Roster Around LeBron James: “S–t Show”
He was a perfect fit for the Lakers and is thriving in his role. Carmelo Anthony has broken the 20-point plateau five times already this season and scored in double figures nine out of 11 games. He is knocking down 50 percent of his shots overall and 52 percent of his attempts from the 3-point line.
It is fair to question where the Los Angeles Lakers would be without Anthony’s scoring punch. The team is as top-heavy as any team in the NBA as LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are the only other players on the team averaging double-digit points per game on the season.
Carmelo Anthony has never shot this well in his career, but he has shown no signs of slowing down. His efficiency may drop as the season goes on, but he will continue being a consistent source of scoring for the purple and gold.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Exec On Lakers Roster Around LeBron James: “S–t Show”
He is taking advantage of playing against second units and destroying backups on a nightly basis as second units have no answer for his offensive repertoire.
