Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in NBA history which could be traced to his mindset as a top-tier offensive player. He always had the mentality of being a score because he feels satisfaction from being the go-to guy.
Melo knew how he wanted to play and never wavered from his scoring mindset. That made him reach the top ten in points scored in NBA history. When asked why he played that way, Melo gave people a glimpse into a scorer’s mindset.
“Scoring is very addictive, especially when you know you can do it,” Melo said on The Dan Patrick Show in 2016. “You can never get too many points… It’s a mentality you have to have. Some people have it, some people don’t.”
Scorers need to have this mindset
Melo is not alone in his mindset because elite scorers believe they are the best offensive players in the league. Anthony cited names like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson, who have the same mentality because they must be like that in order to establish themselves as the best in the league. They dare to take charge and win games with their scoring.
Operating that way is acceptable for a talented player like Melo. He had all the skills to be a go-to scorer for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, which is why he was a consistent All-Star level player throughout his career. Unfortunately, this has led to a stereotype of him being a selfish player, which is untrue because he was also an underrated playmaker.
Basketball players can be scoring-focused, but Melo believes the selfish tag is too much . They are not one-dimensional because elite scorers are so good at one part of their game that they cannot be stopped. He wanted to be an elite scorer but was not selfish because he was a decent and willing passer.
“It's an art to score, it's an art to get in a bucket. It's an art to that, and I speak on that confidently because I did what I did, but also most people would say he's just that, but I'm going to embrace that. I'm going to embrace people saying that I'm just a great scorer. Fine, I'll embrace that,” Anthony said in an episode of his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.
Carmelo stayed consistent throughout his career
Melo never wavered from his scoring mindset because even when he was a role player in Portland, he would ask for the ball so he could work in the post. Even if he had Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum on the team, the coaches still reserved a spot for him in the high-post to operate when they need a wing scorer.
Despite not winning a championship, Melo is still a legend in the NBA. He kept up with his legendary peers from the 2003 Draft, proving he could hang with them even without a title. His approach to scoring made him great because his mindset helped him to stick around. Thankfully, he was always confident in his shot and never wavered.
Related: Carmelo Anthony shares the real reason why he didn't join Miami's Big 3: "I wasn't ready to go teaming up; I was building my own sh**"
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