Anthony accepting role with Thunder
OKLAHOMA CITY — Carmelo Anthony has been the No. 1 option for any team on which he has played for most of his career.
He knew that wasn’t going to be the case when he arrived in Oklahoma City, though it’s safe to say things haven’t gone as he expected when he signed to be part of the league’s next Big Three.
With Anthony playing alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George, the Thunder are headed to the playoffs . He is the Thunder’s third-leading scorer, yet at times, it feels as if he is the fourth option behind center Steven Adams. Anthony isn’t complaining. “Acceptance of what I have to do here and what is needed of me,” Anthony said. “I think the other guys on the team, after they started playing with each other more and more, we started figuring out each other’s game. We figured out what each other brings to the game.”
He has said he wants to win, and he is not just talking the talk.
Late in a critical game against the Nuggets a few weeks ago, Anthony chose not to re-enter in the closing minutes of regulation. Instead, he walked away from the scorer’s table and let 24-year-old Jerami Grant stay in the game.
“I didn’t want to break his rhythm,” Anthony said. “A lot of guys when they have it going like that, especially role-player guys, bench guys, that gives them confidence. You believe in those guys.”
Anthony returned to action when the game went to overtime and his actions left little doubt where he is mentally. A likely future Hall of Famer, Anthony is one of the top 20 scorers in NBA history, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and an NBA scoring champion in 2013.
Not long ago, the thought of Anthony being out of a game at crunch time would have been dismissed as senseless. Now, he’s 33 years old, no longer in his prime. He averages 16.2 points per game, by far the lowest of his career, and his minutes also are at a career low.
He’s fine with it all because his goal is his first NBA title.
Anthony’s teammates respect how he has adjusted.
“He’s just an overall good guy,” Westbrook said. “Does a lot of different things that goes unnoticed. His ultimate sacrifice is No. 1, and his being a team guy is always important as well.”
Anthony has been an isolation specialist for most of his career, having the ball in his hand and his team clearing out so he can go one-on-one. This season, he has been at his best when taking advantage of the attention Westbrook and George have drawn.
“Those guys are finding me in transition, they’re finding me when guys collapse on the defensive end and we’re just sharing the ball,” he said. “I think when we share the ball and we move the ball, everybody feels a part of the game. The rhythm comes, the flow of the game comes because the rhythm is a lot different than what we (the Thunder) had in the past, so we’ve got to find ways, find that rhythm.”
Grant is averaging 9.4 points per game since the All-Star break in just under 20 minutes per game. Anthony is teaching him to be more assertive.
“Since I’ve been here, he’s been with our group — me, him and Paul — the shooting groups,” Anthony said. “Just talking to him and encouraging him to take a little bit more.”