The Lakers are beginning to put the pieces together after a bumpy beginning to the NBA season. The faster the new aged Lakers core can gel early in the season, the less stress they’ll avoid down the line. After last season’s early playoff exit, only LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker return from last season’s roster. One of the new additions, Carmelo Anthony, is ready to adapt, despite people’s ideas of him. After the Lakers beat the Rockets on Sunday night, Anthony had some thoughts about his new role.
“I think people don’t really understand me. I think there’s a misconception out there about me not being able to adapt to situations but I’m easily adaptable, man, to any situation. I’ve always tried to adapt to every situation that I’ve been in. Some were better than others, but this is just an easy adaptation for me.”
Carmelo Anthony
For the 37-year-old Carmelo Anthony, the last few seasons have tested his ability to adapt. The 19-year NBA vet has played on four different teams since 2016. After rocky tenures with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, Anthony found a new start with the Portland Trailblazers. After nearly falling out of the league, Anthony played two seasons in Portland and re-established himself as a valuable offensive player.
Now, he’s teaming up with his longtime pal LeBron James. In Tinsel Town, Anthony is making the most of his role off the bench. Through seven games, Anthony is averaging 16 points, three assists, and three rebounds per game. In Sunday’s victory, Anthony also added some defense, recording four blocks and two steals, the first time he’s done that since 2003.
Anthony climbing the scoring ladder
While contributing instant offense from the bench, Anthony has also been making history. In a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this season, Anthony became the ninth leading scorer in NBA history. With a 28-point performance, Anthony passed Moses Malone in total points scored. As it stands, Anthony and his teammate LeBron James are the only two active players in the top-25 all-time scoring.
The next player Anthony could pass would be Shaquille O’Neal. Anthony has scored 27,464 points but will need a lot more buckets to catch Shaq’s 28,596. While he may be in a bench role, Anthony will undoubtedly hope to keep giving the Lakers a spark all season. How much higher he can jump in the history books remains to be seen.
