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New York Knicks: Realistic goals for Carmelo Anthony in 2017-18

By Maxwell Ogden

MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 08: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks walks onto the court prior to a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 8, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 08: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks walks onto the court prior to a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 8, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 14 : Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks grabs the rebound against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2017 in New York, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 14 : Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks grabs the rebound against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2017 in New York, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Make An Effort Defensively

The New York Knicks shouldn’t expect Carmelo Anthony to lock opponents down on the defensive end of the floor. As the Knicks embrace an offense that better fits his style of play, however, it’s fair to ask him to exert more energy.

The players on the Knicks follow Anthony’s lead, and if he simply makes a concerted effort on defense, the rest will fall into place.

New York finished the 2016-17 NBA regular season at No. 23 in points allowed per game and No. 25 in points allowed per 100 possessions. Beyond the numbers, the Knicks routinely failed to play with the necessary energy to achieve any measure of consistency on defense.

Anthony himself criticized the Knicks for a lack of effort on defense—an issue that Jeff Hornacek and the Knicks will aim to avoid in 2017-18.

If Anthony rebounds at a high level in 2017-18, that may be enough to lead by example. He’s excelled in that regard in the past, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game as recently as 2015-16, and 8.1 rebounds per game in a not-so-distant 2013-14 campaign.

If Anthony consistently crashes the defensive glass, he’ll help address a glaring weakness and thus set a positive tone on defense.

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