The Celtics are a potential suitor for Carmelo Anthony, according to at least one report, but it’s a courtship that should be squashed before any contract gets inked.
It’s not personal with Anthony – although he’s had his knocks against him over his several franchise stops. It’s basketball, and Anthony just doesn’t fit in this roster or this system.
The 38-year-old still holds plenty of upside: in 2021 with the Lakers he averaged 13.3 points per game in 26 minutes of playing time, and he shot 44 percent from the field.
But Carmelo Anthony in the 2022-23 Celtics locker room would be like Will Ferrell’s character Buddy in the beginning of “Elf:” an oversized man crammed into a small desk, trying and failing to fit into a culture and way of doing things for which he’s wildly unsuited.
For starters, Celtics coach Ime Udoka has turned the Celtics into a defensive juggernaut that depends on quick switches, communication, and Marcus Smart-level hustle. There’s no room for a weak link. But Anthony has never established himself as an above-average defender, even during his peak athletic prowess. There’s nothing to indicate that tiger would change his stripes so late in his career.
Udoka also worked hard to break the Celtics of their bad habits back in 2021, which included too much reliance on isolation offense. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at the helm, Boston’s half-court offense screeches to a halt when the ball sticks, rather than gets dished around for third and fourth looks.
And Anthony? Well, he’s as sticky as caramel.
Anthony hasn’t average more than three assists per game since his 2015 season with the Knicks, and in his recent roles as a bench player, he’s barely averaged one per game.
After the Celtics came up short in the NBA Finals, President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens harped on the team’s need for playmaking off the bench. But ask any Marcus Smart critic – chucking the ball up does not equate to playmaking. Stevens already brought in Malcolm Brogdon to assist in getting offense moving off the bench, and the Celtics will likely lean on Sam Hauser for a better stroke in the upcoming season.
Finally, if the Celtics are going to bring in a seasoned veteran to come off the bench as a 7th or 8th man, it would behoove them to find someone with a ring. If there was anything the team showed they lacked more than bench depth in the NBA Finals against the Warriors, it was a lack of experience. Carmelo Anthony has plenty of Olympic medals, but no championship experience to share.