Carmelo Anthony proving to be a valuable addition for Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers added a number of players to their roster during the offseason. One of them was 19-year NBA veteran Carmelo Anthony.

For most of his career, Carmelo Anthony was the No. 1 option when he played for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. But after parting ways with the Knicks, Anthony entered into unfamiliar territory.

In 2017-18, he started 78 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder. But he was the third option on that roster and he wasn’t receptive to the idea of coming off the bench.

And in 2018-19, Anthony appeared in just 10 games for the Houston Rockets, starting in just two of those contests. Unfortunately, his time with the Rockets was short-lived and they released him. After more than a year away from basketball, Anthony found a home with the Portland Trailblazers.

During the 2019-20 NBA season, Anthony started in all 58 games he played in. He compiled averages of 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing. And although he transitioned to the bench the following season, Anthony was still a valuable contributor, as he averaged 13. points and 3.1 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game.

Carmelo Anthony proving to be a valuable offseason addition for the Lakers

Anthony’s talent speaks for itself. But given the number of offseason acquisitions, it would have been fair to question if he would be a good fit for the Lakers.

So far, the early returns have been positive. In an outing against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 24, Anthony poured in 28 points (his highest scoring output of the season) on 10-for-15 shooting from the field and 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.

And in a recent pair of games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets, Anthony scored 24 and 23 points, respectively. He shot a combined 17-for-26 from the floor and he knocked down 11 of his 16 attempts from the 3-point line.

For those of us who thought that Anthony would have a difficult time adjusting to his new team, he offered this assessment.

“I think people don’t really understand me,” Anthony said, via ESPN. “I think there’s a misconception out there about me and not being able to adapt to situations. But I’m easily adaptable, man, to any situation.”

On the season, Anthony is averaging 16.7 points per contest and he’s doing so on an efficient level. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and 52.8 percent from 3-point range on a career-high 6.6 attempts per game.

Not only that, but three of the Lakers’ four wins have occurred when he’s scored at least 20 points. With that being said, the Lakers will have their fair share of ups and downs this season. On the flip side of the narrative, Anthony will be a bright spot for a team seeking its second Finals appearance in three seasons.