Carmelo Anthony is now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The news caught most of the NBA world off guard as the heavy favorites for a majority of the offseason were the Rockets, Trail Blazers and Cavs. Once Carmelo opened up his options for the no-trade clause, the Thunder swooped in to make the move. The Melo acquisition comes after the Thunder made a trade for Paul George with the Indiana Pacers earlier this summer. Needless to say, the Thunder have been busy this season. The real question now is how will these big-name players fit together? That’s a legitimate question, but I can say one thing for sure, Paul George will be the biggest beneficiary from this trade for one simple reason:
Carmelo Anthony plays the 4.
In fact, Carmelo thrives as a 4. Many would argue that he should primarily play the 4 as it is not only a good fit on the offensive end, but his defensive ability is much more fitting to guard a 4 than a 3. According to Basketball Reference, the two years Carmelo was officially listed as a power forward were arguably the two best years of his career. Between those two seasons, he averaged 28 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 39 percent 3-point shooting. Not only can he shoot, but he brings a solid post game too.
Melo’s game fits perfectly in today’s uptempo game where he can play the stretch 4. With Melo at the 4, the Thunder will be able to play a quick and deadly 3-point shooting lineup to battle the Warriors. And this isn’t some novel idea, Melo says it’s likely himself:
Melo on playing 4: “I have no problem playing the 4. I actually like that, actually embrace that. For this team, I think it will be better.”
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) September 25, 2017
With all of this said, why does this benefit Paul George? Well, he simply doesn’t want to play the 4. And his skill set caters much more to the 3 than the 4. The argument can be made that Paul George’s relationship with the Pacers started to disintegrate over the topic of playing the 4. Larry Bird pressed the issue and many believe that is what caused a strain on their relationship. The beauty of this OKC team is that George won’t ever have to play the 4. Sure, sometimes he may switch off with Melo, but that will be more due to positionless basketball rather playing primarily as a power forward. Plus, you want this guy on the wing…..
These two compliment each other’s skills and give the Thunder flexibility in lineups. You can plug and play PG-13 at the 2 or 3 while you can play Melo at the 3 or 4. Paul George gets the talent he wants all while playing the position he wants. I won’t speak on total team fit here, but, from PG-13’s perspective, he is looking at the perfect partner in crime.
Man, it’s going to be incredible to watch these two play together. Wait, are we forgetting somebody? Oh yeah, this guy also plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder:
Good luck NBA, there’s a new superteam on the block.
