Sports Illustrated’s NBA experts have compiled their annual list of the top 100 players in the NBA. Most of the list is fairly cut-and-dry, but there were several notable omissions, including Houston Rockets forward Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony, now 34 years of age, is a 10-time All-Star and former scoring champion (2013). Some would say the former Syracuse standout deserves to be on this list, but there are those who would beg to differ, as his production has fallen off in recent years.
Melo made 78 appearances with the Oklahoma City Thunder during their 2017-18 regular-season campaign, racking up averages of 16.2 points on 40.4 percent shooting (35.7 percent from beyond the arc), 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 32.1 minutes per outing. Solid numbers, but not as high as they once were, and he really struggled in a first-round playoff loss to the Utah Jazz.
Last season, SI ranked Anthony as the 37th-best player in the NBA, while ESPN ranked the former No.3 overall pick at No. 64. He was less than pleased, especially considering Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, who hadn’t played a single game yet, was ranked just ahead of Anthony at 63.
Can’t Make Sense Out Of Non Sense!
“A certain darkness is needed to see the stars.”@espn Don’t be so Blatant with the disrespect#LineEmUp pic.twitter.com/NIWiwL1RMj— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) September 12, 2017
This summer, Anthony accepted a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum to suit up for the Houston Rockets. He’ll be playing alongside his longtime friend, Chris Paul, as well as one of the best 2-guards the league has to offer in James Harden.
The Rockets needed another wing after Trevor Ariza joined the Phoenix Suns in free agency. And though the decision to bring in Anthony has been met with some level of criticism, Rockets officials are confident he can thrive in Houston.
Will Anthony be able to revitalize his career in Houston? Will he crack the next top-100 list after a bounce-back season? Perhaps. To most, though, his legacy is already set in stone — no list needed.
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