The 2018 NBA offseason was uncharted territory for Houston Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony. Once a renowned offensive force, the 34-year-old has seen his All-Star aura diminish over the past two seasons.
Coming off of an underachieving campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which they finished as the No. 4 seed in the West, the former All Star's role with his new team is still unclear. Inefficient shooting, a decreased ability to draw fouls and a constantly regressing effort on defense led to the worst season of his career last year. Now, many around the league want to see how Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni will use the former Knicks star in the Houston system.
Will Carmelo Anthony's impact on the offensive end override the losses of defensive-minded forwards Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute? Anthony has said the right things thus far, but what will his mentality be once he realizes he isn't a main focal point of the offense? After being just one game from the NBA Finals, does Houston drastically change the way it plays to incorporate a ball-dominant force such as Carmelo? These are all important questions that need answers going into the season.
At last season's Thunder media day, Anthony laughed off the notion that he would consider a reserve role for the first time in his career. Just a year later, the 10-time All-Star has softened his stance on the matter. When questioned about the topic at Rockets media day he responded, "At the end of the day, we're all going to camp to figure out what works in order for this team to try to win a championship." That is a far cry from his prior dismissive mindset about the status change.
Regardless, Houston will be using Anthony much differently than at any point is his 16-year career. With the losses of Ariza and Mbah a Moute, the Rockets are hoping that Anthony's offensive abilities can make up for his lack of defensive effort. Houston finished with the sixth-best defensive rating in the NBA during the 2017-18 season -- Anthony finished 287th in defensive win shares among eligible players.
Entering last season, most analysts expected the Thunder to be a legitimate threat to the Golden State Warriors' reign over the Western Conference. Instead, Anthony averaged a career-low 16.2 points per game, and OKC's defensive efficiency drastically fell when he was on the floor. As a result, the union of he, Paul George and Russell Westbrook delivered underwhelming play that resulted in a first-round exit courtesy of the youthful Utah Jazz.
At first glance there is a correlation between Houston and Oklahoma City that makes the upcoming season intriguing. Like in his time with the Thunder, Anthony will be tasked with operating as the third offensive option behind a tandem of All-Star guards. The key difference this time around is that Houston's pairing is regarded as two of the best playmakers in the league. Chris Paul has made a name for himself by putting his teammates in position to succeed. On the wing, reigning NBA MVP James Harden has proven his elite ability to distribute the ball as well, finishing as a top-three player in assists over the past two seasons.
Both the Rockets and Anthony hope this campaign brings successes the franchise hasn't seen since the Hakeem Olajuwon-led clubs of the 1990s. Anthony's role might have shifted over the past couple seasons, but his ultimate goal has not.
When asked at media day what his objective is this season, Carmelo had a simple reply.
"To win a championship, that's it. At this point that's all that really matters," he said. "At the end of the day we know what we're here for. I don't think nobody is thinking anything differently than trying to win a championship."
With the increasing strength of the Western Conference, he will have to give his all on both sides of the ball if he hopes to play into June.
The strong relationship between Anthony and Paul will be a key factor in how close the Rockets come to achieving those aspirations. It was Paul's presence on Houston that ultimately intrigued him enough to sign there after his buyout with the Atlanta Hawks became official. Now, with the opportunity to play with one of his closest friends, Paul believes that "Carmelo brings the hunger" necessary to take the Rockets to a new level.
Right now, the whole situation in Houston seems perfectly suited for Anthony. He gets to play with the league MVP, one of his best friends in the game, and a coach who knows more than anyone how to assimilate his style of play into an offense. If he figures out a way to focus more on guarding the opposition, the outlook is good. Everything is set for the Houston Rockets to challenge the Warriors for their throne, but will Carmelo be able to shift the balance of power? That much remains to be seen as the season gets underway.
