Carmelo Anthony: Team USA Creating Blueprint For Knicks

4. Catch And Shoot

It’ll be elaborated upon in future slides, but the best thing the New York Knicks can do for Carmelo Anthony is give him less responsibility on offense. That may seem like an odd strategy, but Anthony should be more of a finisher than a creator.

Anthony can read the defense and make the right passes, but asking him to carry the Knicks in isolation for four quarters would be unwise.

Anthony is more than capable of creating off the bounce. That aspect of his game shouldn’t be eliminated, but instead preserved and utilized in key moments instead of being the foundation for offensive execution.

Anthony acknowledged how much better he plays when he can score within the flow of a game following his 31-point performance against Australia. Per John Schuhmann of NBA.com:

"“Tonight was just one of those nights where I wanted to let the game come to me, take the shots that were given to me, take the open shots, and kind of just play basketball,” Anthony said afterward. “At the end of the day, I was in my zone, I was playing basketball. My teammates found me when I was open. I didn’t try to go get it. Everything happened within the flow of the basketball game and that’s the best time to go get it.”"

Anthony converted 38.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-point field goals in 2015-16 and hit 43.2 percent in 2013-14—his last healthy season.

In 2015-16, just 36.0 percent of Anthony’s field goals were assisted. By comparison, LeBron James was assisted on 40.4 percent of his field goals, Stephen Curry on 46.6 percent of his, and Kevin Durant on 55.0 percent of his.

It’s quite simple: the most efficient scorers in the NBA can create their own offense, but have teammates who alleviate the burden.

Next: Surround Him With Talent