New York Knicks: Realistic Expectations For Carmelo Anthony
New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony is approaching a career-defining campaign. What are realistic expectations for his 14th season?
The 2016-17 NBA regular season is somewhere in between promising and disconcerting for New York Knicks fans. Carmelo Anthony has been surrounded with a significant measure of talent, but no one knows exactly what to expect.
Though there are a number of players with something to lose, there’s no player with more to gain than Anthony.
Anthony is entering his 14th NBA season. He boasts career averages of 24.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 3-point field goals made on an efficient slash line of .454/.344/.812.
Anthony has 10 postseason appearances in 13 completed seasons, but the three times he’s missed the playoffs were 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16.
With a desperate need to return to the 2016 NBA Playoffs, Anthony will need to be at his best. He acknowledged as much during a recent interview with Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
Per Iannazzone:
"“Let’s just be quite frank, at the end of the day it’s going to take me being the best that I can be on the basketball court to make this successful alongside everybody doing their job and playing their role and being the best that they can be,” Anthony said. “I’ll figure the game out as the game comes and whatever that particular moment needs me to be."
The question is: what can the Knicks realistically expect Anthony to do in 2016-17?