Nine full seasons in and seven all-star game appearances into his NBA run and Carmelo Anthony readily admits he is still a work in progress.
To be more specific, Anthony was referring to his and his New York Knicks ongoing adaptation to Phil Jackson’s newly installed triangle offense. But there is no question, these are learning times for the veteran forward.
“I’m still working on it, man. I’m trying to find my comfort zone and figure out how to play better,” Anthony told ESPN after he missed 15 of 20 shots in the Knicks’ 110-99 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, making their record 2-4. “We’re not playing well, and I’m not playing well, which starts with me. I need to get myself going, and I believe that will help everyone else.”
So new to them is the offense rookie coach and Jackson disciple Derek Fisher is requiring of them, Anthony thinks he and his mates might be over-thinking themselves in trying to adhere to it.
“It’s definitely not second nature,” he added. “It can be you’re thinking too much. I don’t know. It’s early but we have to figure it out. We have to kind of nip that in the bud. System or no system, we still have to go out there and play hard. We give our all out here on the court, and whether we win or lose we can live with that.”
Anthony’s recent struggles have been as pronounced as anyone. After connecting on 50 percent of his shots in the team’s first three games, he has dipped to 28 percent shooting over the course of the team’s current three-game losing streak.
“I’m still trying to figure it out,” he said. “I don’t think these teams are doing anything differently. For me it’s just not going in. Whether it’s rhythm, whatever it may be. There just not going in. Those are shots that I’ve been making and I will make, continue to make, throughout my career.”
[Photo Source: Matt Britto]