I dug into Carmelo Anthony’s Olympic numbers and compared them to what he’s done as a Laker. That led me to a startling conclusion: I think Carmelo, stylistically, looks more like the myth of “Olympic Melo” now than he did in some of his actual Olympics.https://t.co/moulZ9dExW
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) November 2, 2021
Carmelo Anthony has been held to an impossible standard in the final stage of his career. That’s not figurative. While his defensive shortcomings are well known, pundits have for years argued that he could make up for them offensively by transforming into the mythical “Olympic Melo,” the role player who pops up once every four years to nab a medal alongside the sort of teammates he largely hasn’t had in the NBA. The problem with that plan is that Anthony is being asked to play like a player who doesn’t actually exist.
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The answer to all of those questions is … whatever Anthony has been doing in his first seven games as a Laker. The 16.7 points per game he is averaging are the most he’s put up since his last All-Star season of 2017. His 64.6 effective field goal percentage isn’t just the best of his career … it would be the best of Stephen Curry’s career. He alone is responsible for nearly 28 percent of all of the 3-pointers the Lakers have made this season. There’s no sense getting too wrapped up in the raw numbers here. They’re going to regress. No player is good enough to make 52 percent of over six 3-point attempts per game, and if that player existed, he wouldn’t be making the minimum. But the ways in which Anthony is coming by these points is more sustainable, and in the quest for the holy grail of Carmelo that is his Olympic self, it’s as close as we’re ever going to get. Let’s take a look at how he’s using his possessions thus far this year compared to last season in Portland.
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That’s what this season has been for Anthony. Ever since he left New York he’s been held to the standard of a player who didn’t even exist, but through seven games, he’s been so good that he’s somehow managed to exceed it. When you consider both how Anthony is using his possessions and the shots that are coming out of them, the version of him that’s playing in the NBA right now might more closely fit the stereotypical idea of “Olympic Melo” than any of the versions of him that actually took part in the games. He has balanced all of the things fans have waited years to see out of him with just enough of what he’s always done well to create an ideal supporting offensive piece for a championship contender.
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