Houston Rockets: Four things to establish in first month of season
By T.A. Mock
#2: Figuring out what role Carmelo Anthony plays on this team
The Houston Rockets have been after Carmelo Anthony since 2014. After years and years of trying to land one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, they finally were able to. Melo isn’t close to the player or scorer he used to be but the Rockets don’t need him to be.
Harden averaged over 30 points per game in an MVP winning season, he is, was, will be the premier scorer on this team for a long time. CP3 is good for 18-20 points a night in a secondary role to Harden. Melo will be behind these two in terms of options for scoring and alongside Capela and Gordon.
Melo was willing to take a backseat and on a contender last year with the Thunder behind Russell Westbrook and Paul George. However, he previously was not open to a role coming off of the bench. That seems to have changed with him donning a Houston Rockets uniform.
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Melo appears likely to start on the bench but that doesn’t exclude him from starting games down the road. Like I mentioned on the previous slide, it also doesn’t mean he won’t get starter minutes.
If Anthony is ready to accept the role of floor spacer and play second or third fiddle then this offense could reach all-time heights. He could get minutes as the best scorer on the floor and he could get minutes with Harden and/or Paul. Harden and Paul immediately rank as the best distributors Melo has ever played with so his off the ball game could be the best it’s ever been.
Figuring out Melo’s role will be key to the Houston Rockets taking off early in the season and sustaining a high octane offense from beginning to end.