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Pundits and fans have marveled at how spectacular Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James has played this season at the age of 37. The four-time MVP, who is in his 19th year and has appeared in 10 NBA Finals, is averaging 29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel certainly appreciates how stellar LeBron has been. However, he also wants people to know how special his other 19-year veteran is.
Vogel Praises Carmelo Anthony
The Lakers snapped their three-game losing streak by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers on February 3 at home. Anthony Davis led the way with 30 points and 15 rebounds, but it was Carmelo Anthony’s 24 points off the bench that was the difference in the contest. The future Hall of Famer shot 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in 32 minutes of action and outscored the Blazers’ bench by himself.
Anthony is averaging 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in his 19th NBA season and Vogel believes his forward deserves more praise for how well he’s playing. After all, Anthony was out of the NBA just two years ago.
“LeBron gets a lot of credit for what he’s doing in Year 19,” Vogel said, via Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “And I don’t think people are talking enough about what Carmelo is doing in Year 19. It really is remarkable.”
LeBron and Anthony entered the NBA in 2003. The former was the No. 1 overall pick, while the latter was the third pick. The two are very close friends and their relationship goes well beyond basketball.
While LeBron is still a superstar in his 19th season and Anthony is a role player off the bench, when Melo plays well, the Lakers usually win.
Lakers Are 10-4 When Anthony Makes at Least 4 3-Pointers
The Lakers are 10-4 when Anthony makes at least four 3-pointers, according to Woike. The 10-time All-Star is shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc in his first season with the Lakers and had a feeling he was going to go off against the Blazers.
“Everything feels like it’s aligned,” Anthony said. “And it’s not just in the game. I mean, the whole day just felt, just, I was floating today. I don’t know why. But it was just one of those days. You wake up, you feel good. Maybe I’m rested from the long road trip. That could have helped too. But also understanding the implications of our games now, that we have to step up and we have to go try to win these games.”
Anthony has to continue to produce at a high level for the Lakers moving forward, especially since LeBron is currently injured. It’s unknown when the King will return to the lineup, so Anthony, Davis and Russell Westbrook have to carry the load for the foreseeable future.
The Lakers will look to make it two wins in a row when they face the Los Angeles Clippers on February 3. It will be interesting to see how Anthony plays against the Clippers since it’s the second night of a back-to-back.
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