Rockets: 3 positives of Carmelo Anthony potentially accepting a bench role

By Peyton Ingram

Aug 20, 2018

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on from the bench during the game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on February 24, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

3 of 4

Enes Kanter #00 and Courtney Lee #5 of the New York Knicks defend against Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder

NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 16: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Enes Kanter #00 and Courtney Lee #5 of the New York Knicks defend against Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2017 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Thunder 111-96. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Lesser defensive competition.

Coming off the bench is going to make Anthony’s life as a scorer much easier in terms of who he’ll be matched up against.

Every player to make an All-Defensive Team in the last ten years has started for over half of the games that they play, and while not every A-grade defender makes one of the two teams, that stat can still be generally indicative of how many of the league’s premier defenders are starters.

If Anthony accepts a bench role, instead of being guarded by the superior defenders that man most team’s starting lineups, he’ll face the usually lesser ones that appear in opponent’s second units, and will likely see an uptick in his production as a result.

Eric Gordon

It worked for Eric Gordon, who after spending several years facing starting-caliber defenders in his time with New Orleans and prior, made the switch to a bench job with the Rockets, and saw the softening in defensive competition in part lead to his Sixth Man of the Year award win in 2017.

Gordon’s statistical performance and value have been on the rise since, and it’s very possible that we could see Anthony’s numbers take a similar turn as well.

Next: No. 3