As of mid-September, Carmelo Anthony has yet to sign with a team. That isn’t that shocking if you think about it. He’s 38 now, and his five-year box plus/minus is about equivalent to that of a replacement player (in other words, around that of a bench player or end-of-bench player).
However, if you just look at Melo’s final two years, you can find that he’s still a useful player, especially on offense.
His statistics have improved dramatically since the start of the 2020-21 season. With just 294 minutes of playing time in 2018–19, Anthony seemed to be on the approach of being completely let loose by the NBA.
Melo averaged 19.2 points and 2.9 three-pointers per 75 possessions while shooting 39.1 percent from deep in his past two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
When a rival team’s big man is tasked with guarding a 6’7″ forward, that type of shooting can really get the offense going. There are a couple of teams who could use Melo’s stretch 4 games for a quarter to a half.
1st Rank: Boston Celtics
News of Danilo Gallinari’s ACL tear at EuroBasket fueled speculation that Melo may replace Gallinari in the starting lineup.
As reported by Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe this week, this is now a distinct possibility.
Anthony “may be the greatest shooting forward remaining on the market,” noted Washburn, and “he has demonstrated to be effective offensively despite his age,” so the idea is gaining support. As Anthony put it, “this may be his greatest chance to win a title.”
Although Melo is older by four years compared to Gallo, their output in 2021-22 was quite similar.
2nd Rank: Chicago Bulls
Another club that may benefit from increased three-point shooting is the Chicago Bulls.
They finished 29th in the league in threes per 100 possessions in 2021-22. If they want to be a top-10 offense, they’ll need to increase their volume, and Melo can assist.
Only six players in the previous two seasons who played at least as many minutes matched or exceeded Anthony’s standards for threes per possession and three-point percentage.
In lineups with DeMar DeRozan tearing teams apart from the short and mid-range, having that sort of outside shooting to draw opponents out to the perimeter might work wonders.
3rd Rank: New York Knicks
Rejoining the New York Knicks was dubbed “Anthony’s best option” by ESPN’s Bobby Marks earlier this offseason.
The present roster strength explains this clearly.
In addition to shooting only 30.8 percent from beyond last season, Julius Randle had a devastating negative influence on the Knicks’ point difference. New York’s future at that position is unmistakably Obi Toppin, but even he had trouble getting off the bench.
Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks’ centers, are both solid players but won’t exactly help you spread the floor.
Slashers like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Jalen Brunson may find some relief if they had the option to deploy a floor-spacer in the frontcourt.
4th Rank: Brooklyn Nets
When the Brooklyn Nets signed Anthony in August, New York Post reporter Brian Lewis said that Kevin Durant “wanted them to make.”
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype soon poured cold water on the rumor, stating, “Despite different claims regarding the Nets eyeing Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony as free-agent acquisitions, Brooklyn doesn’t have interest in acquiring either veteran now.”
You can understand where KD is coming from, despite the questionable history of current players shaping their own teams’ lineups (assuming the initial report is true).
Despite the addition of Markieff Morris, Brooklyn’s frontcourt seems a touch thin. With the roster as it is, Ben Simmons and Kevin Durant might get time at the 5, where they’d both benefit from shooting from the 4.
Melo may end up paying more than projected given the recent durability of Durant, Simmons, and Morris, but Anthony can deliver that in limited minutes.
Finishing Up
And if there is a team in the league that is well-equipped to compensate for Anthony’s defensive weaknesses, it is the Boston Celtics. There is no other team in the league that comes close.
Gallinari was brought in to enhance the space on the court and maybe give Al Horford’s legs a break every once in a while. At the very least for a year, Anthony has the possibility of doing the same thing.
