“If I had a chance to be the second option, I will definitely be the second option,”
Anthony said in 2015. “That just takes the load off of me. For me, I don’t have to go out there and do it every night. So I think everybody, All-Star players, we want that light, we want to be the focal point of our team, of our organization. But if we get somebody to come in and help us out, that’s a load off of us. That’s helpful to me, that’s helpful to the other star that’s coming in, that’s helpful to the whole team.” Anthony hasn’t had many chances in his career to back up those words. But when he has had them, he’s excelled. The best basketball of Carmelo’s career has come as a secondary option for USA Basketball or when he’s shared the floor with a quality NBA point guard. The game gets easy when someone else can create offense. Instead of being forced to make plays against a set defense, Melo can unleash off the catch, slash, or cut off-ball.