Carmelo Anthony is accepting his fate as a non-alpha with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Make no mistake, he’s going to get his shots up, as he did during a Thursday night loss to the Brooklyn Nets, when he went 5-of-20 from the floor. But there will also be times when he doesn’t get that many looks—when he attempts around 10 or 12 shots, like he did during recent wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. And he understands that.
Slowly, surely, he’s embracing it.
From the New York Post‘s Brian Lewis:
The ex-Knicks star has had to adjust going from New York to Oklahoma City. But most importantly, he has had to adjust going from being the man to being a teammate, from filling the basket to filling a role.
“For the most part, it’s just accepting the fact that you’re not going to be the man every single night or have to be the man every single night, so for me, I’ve accepted that,” Anthony said Wednesday night at the Thunder team hotel as they prepared for Thursday’s game against the Nets.
“Coming from where you had to be the man, the go-to guy every single night day-in and day-out, you don’t have to do that anymore. You can just try to do what you do best and try to fit in and try to do what I have to do to help the team win basketball games. So for me, that’s the biggest adjustment, but also that’s the fun part for me.”
Anthony has been among the Thunder’s most upbeat players during their sub-.500 struggle to start the season. He was very careful to note the locker room isn’t turning on itself in destructive fashion not too long ago, and now, he’s showing that he knows his role on this team will vary in both volume and importance from night to night.
If only this epiphany reflected itself in the stat sheet. The Thunder wouldn’t be in the playoffs if they started today, and their offense remains a mess. Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook have used more isolation possessions than 28 of the 29 non-OKC teams, and the offense in general cannot piece things together for long stretches at a time—particularly in the clutch.
Something has to give, and not just Anthony’s shot totals. For now, though, the Thunder can take solace in knowing he has no plans to work against the grain of transition—provided, of course, they have the faculties to successfully facilitate one.
