Carmelo Anthony Underrated? Carmelo Anthony has played 12 seasons in the NBA, the same number of seasons as LeBron James. Yet, no one talks about Carmelo Anthony as one of the best players or even scorers of all-time. So think about this… Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant, whom many argue as one of the best players and scorers of all time, have extremely similar stat-lines. Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant both average 36 minutes per game, 25 points per game, 3 turnovers, a 45% field goal percentage, and a 32% usage rate. Kobe Bryant averages about an assist and a half a game more than Carmelo, but Carmelo averages about a rebound and a half more than Kobe. Also, Kobe has the advantage at the free throw line averaging 83% to Carmelo’s 81%. On the other hand, Carmelo has the advantage at the 3-point line averaging 35% to Kobe’s 33%. In addition, both Bryant and Anthony hold a 48% efficient field goal percentage (eFG%) and Bryant leads Anthony in True Shooting Percentage by a measly one percent, 56% to 55%. In addition, Dominique Wilkins, one of the greatest players of the 1980s and 1990s and often regarded as one of the NBA’s best shooting guards of all-time, holds an extremely similar stat line to Carmelo Anthony. For instance, Carmelo Anthony averages 25 points a game, Dominique 24: Carmelo averages 3 assists a game, Dominique 2: Carmelo and Dominique both average about 6 and a half rebounds a game: Carmelo shoots 45%, Dominique 46%: Carmelo has a Player Efficiency Rating of 21.2, Dominique 21.6: and lastly, Carmelo has a Win Shares per 48 minutes of .138, Dominique .148. Carmelo Anthony widely considered one of the better scorers in the league RIGHT NOW at BEST, has a stat-line nearly identical to two of the greatest scores to step on the hardwood. Let me be clear, I am not trying to diminish the greatness that was the Human Highlight Reel or the pure genius that is the Black Mamba, as I completely understand the inconsistent, defense-lacking, arguable ball hog that is Carmelo Anthony and that Kobe’s numerous defensive first teams and championship rings put him on a whole nother level than Carmelo and that Dominique’s brilliance with the basketball is unmatched when compared to the likes of Anthony. However, I would like you to understand that Carmelo Anthony is more than just a good scorer who may never win a ring. Rather, he is a fierce, competitive, scoring savant who is just now entering his prime and is already #40 all-time in points scored and currently sits #12 on all-time highest points per game just 0.2 behind Kobe Bryant. He is a sure-thing Hall of Famer who will quite likely finish top 10 all-time in points. Thank You
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 09:47:19 +0000
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