Carmelo Anthony’s NBA legacy is defined by his scoring brilliance on the Nuggets and Knicks, but when asked about the best season of his career, his answer might surprise you. The 10-time All-Star recently revealed that his lone year with the Los Angeles Lakers was actually his finest, citing efficiency and analytics as the reason why.
“In all honesty, my best year that I’ve ever had was with the Lakers,” said Anthony on ‘CTRL The Narrative.’ “When you look at the numbers and the efficiency and field goal percent, we’re in a game of numbers now and analytics, so if you look at analytics, the Lakers’ year was one of my best years out of 19 seasons.”
Anthony is most remembered for his time with the Knicks, but he says the Lakers were where he took his efficiency to another level. To him, New York brought out his more intellectual game as he was still learning the best version of himself.
“New York was more refined and more intellectual, more of a student of the game and thought the game out more so than the physical game,” Anthony added.
Most of Anthony’s highest career moments actually came with the Nuggets. Over seven and a half seasons, he averaged 24.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 45.9% shooting. Not only is it Melo’s highest points average, it’s also his highest shooting percentage out of all his NBA stops. He led the Nuggets to the 2009 West Finals, which is as far as he ever got in the playoffs.
With the Knicks, Anthony’s averages are similar, but his efficiency really takes a hit. Over his New York stint, Melo averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 44.3% shooting. This was considered Carmelo’s peak, but he’s hardly got anything to show for it.
Anthony’s final season was with the 2021-22 Lakers, which he says was his best. At this point, Melo was playing a reduced role, but he was effective and provided a nice spark off the bench. In 69 games that season, Anthony averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game on 44.1% shooting in just 26.0 minutes.
Even in a limited role with reduced minutes, Carmelo Anthony still found ways to adapt and make an impact on the court. More than with arguably any other team, Carmelo made the most of his time on the Lakers. While it was relatively short-lived in the end, we got to see Melo get the ending he deserved.
Now that he’s a Hall of Famer, Melo’s legacy is all that remains, and he’s making it clear that he went out on his own terms. Rather than calling it quits after being released by the Rockets, he persevered through the storm and got a chance to make one last stand.
For Carmelo, the numbers only tell part of the story. His season with the Lakers wasn’t about being the No. 1 option; it was about finding a role, adapting, and proving he could still make an impact nearly two decades into his career. It may not have been his flashiest stretch, but in Melo’s eyes, it was the most complete version of his game.
