Summary

It looked like the NBA had given up on Melo, but then Portland ran out of forwards and signed the future Hall of Famer. Anthony played better than many expected, starting the majority of games and being productive.

 

However, Anthony may have benefited from being the best of several bad options. With Zach Collins injured, the Blazers were stuck with Mario Hezonja, Anthony Tolliver, and Nasir Little at the power forward position - none of which played well enough to earn rotation minutes. On a healthier Portland team, it's unclear if Anthony could still contribute.

 

Believers in Melo's ability to be a solid role player pointed to "Olympic Melo", who could feast on spotup 3s and stretch the floor at the power forward position. But Anthony has yet to accept that role. This past season, Anthony was in the 99th percentile in percent of shots taken from the long midrange, and midrange overall, according to Cleaning the Glass. He also no longer gets to the rim, so almost half of his shot attempts come from the midrange. While it's helpful to have a player who can create shots in that area when necessary, Anthony is not the best option for those looks at this stage in his career.

 

While he certainly is not a plus-defender, teams weren't attacking in the way they were during his time in Oklahoma City and Houston. However, he is likely to still get targeted in the playoffs.