Carmelo Anthony was one of the highly touted veteran free agent acquisitions for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an extremely versatile and prolific scorer in his prime, and while he isn’t necessarily at that level anymore, he can still be a great contributor on the court. During his last two years with the Portland Trail Blazers, he has thrived in a 6th man scoring role coming off the bench.
During a recent media appearance, Carmelo Anthony was asked what he envisions his role being with the Los Angeles Lakers. Carmelo Anthony likened the Los Angeles Lakers to the USA Olympic teams that he has played on due to the talent level on the roster and revealed that he was fine with starting or coming off the bench. During his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, Carmelo Anthony mentioned that it was “a different feeling” to come off the bench, but added that “once you get past that, it’s basketball”. It seems as though he is bringing that same mindset to Los Angeles. (8:28)
I don’t know man. I had to adjust to that (coming off the bench) last year. It was cool after I got my feet wet and understood what my role was gonna be on that team. It’s the same here.
With this team, I kind of look at it like the USA team. In a sense. There’s so much talent, you have to figure out what works together, what doesn’t work together. How it works together, how it all comes together.
At this point, man, whatever we need to do, let’s do it… I can’t sit and be like ‘Oh, I want to start,’ ‘I want to come off the bench.’ Whatever it is, it is.
I’ve had experience being a starter for 18 years. I’ve had experience coming off the bench for one year. It’s not something I think about anymore.
Carmelo Anthony’s skillset is versatile, and he can definitely fit in a lot of different roles on the Lakers. What matters more is winning, and it looks as though Carmelo Anthony is willing to do whatever it takes on the court to try and get a championship with the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a loaded roster, and many people predict that they will be the team that ends up making the Finals from the Western Conference. Carmelo Anthony has never been in the Finals: perhaps this is the year where he gets to play at the highest stage.
