Portland's Carmelo Anthony Problem Was Laid Bare At Madison Square Garden

Carmelo Anthony was one of many Blazers who couldn't find his shooting touch in a loss to the Knicks. But 'Melo's performance still laid bare the bigger problem that Terry Stotts must address.

Carmelo Anthony was hardly the only Portland Trail Blazer who couldn't find his shooting touch during Sunday's loss to the New York Knicks. The future Hall-of-Famer went 1-of-8 from the field against his former team, and his current one's comeback hopes fell short as Portland finished the game by missing 11 of its last 12 shots. 

There was plenty of blame to go around for the Blazers, basically. A team so reliant on the long ball–especially absent C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic–will sometimes fall victim to the randomness of three-point shooting, too.

But 'Melo missed his lone attempt from deep against the Knicks, and his worst personal offensive instincts were on full display from the opening tip. Chasing Oscar Robertson on the all-time scoring list in front of a nostalgic Madison Square Garden crowd, Anthony tried to recreate the jab-stepping, jump-shooting magic that continues to make him a fan favorite across the globe – and even an occasionally efficient player in 2021.

Regression came fast on Sunday after Anthony scored 43 points on 30 shots over Portland's prior two games, though. Unfortunately for the Blazers, the eye test often made 'Melo look worse than the box score.

Anthony is down to 38.5 percent field goal shooting, a career-low nearly five points worse than last season. He's one of eight rotation players in the league with a usage rate above 21.0 and true shooting percentage below 50.0, per Stathead Basketball, joining the struggling likes of Kelly Oubre and Anthony Edwards. 

Portland scores at the rate of a top-five offense with Anthony on the bench, per NBA.com. When he plays without Damian Lillard, regularly functioning as a go-to scorer, the Blazers offensive rating is a hideous 100.9.

It's tempting to demand that Terry Stotts lessen Anthony's offensive load, treating him like a floor-spacer and sporadic mismatch hunter rather than legendary one-on-one scorer. The league left Anthony's preferred style of play behind him years ago, remember. Few believed James Harden–unlike peak 'Melo, a paragon of efficiency and playmaking–could iso the Houston Rockets to a championship even before he forced his way to Brooklyn.

The hard truth for both Portland is what was laid bare during Anthony's stops in Oklahoma City and Houston, before Lillard and the Blazers repaired his reputation and became "stewards" of his legacy: 'Melo knows just one way to play, and team efforts to limit his touches will be met with major turmoil.

It's clear that's not what either party wants here. Anthony has proven a seamless cultural fit in Portland, and theoretically plugs a small, situational roster hole even when the Blazers are fully healthy. If he never wins a title, Anthony's late-stage renaissance would be a memorable, meaningful way to cap his career.

Still, any question about the nature of Anthony's impact on Portland–even before accounting for defense–has been answered by now. The one left worth asking is what Stotts does with 'Melo's role when the Blazers aren't depleted by injury, and playoff games are at stake.