Carmelo Anthony: With a Commitment to Defense, 'Melo Can Be a Top-5 NBA Player

Carmelo Anthony has been a Knick for about a month and a half now, and fans and critics alike are still debating whether or not obtaining him was the right move for New York.

Some believe that the trade for Anthony was completely warranted, while others feel that the Knicks overpaid for the star forward.  All of the continued scrutiny has made Anthony's transition into New York anything but smooth.

At times, Anthony has played like he is the best player in the league.  Other times, though, Anthony has seemed like a one-trick offensive pony who can only contribute in an isolation setting.

Regardless of whether or not people feel the Knicks gave up too much in assets for Anthony, and despite his occasional inconsistent play, the fact of the matter is that Anthony is an NBA superstar.

A case can even be made that Anthony is a top-five player, but many believe that he is not in that bubble.  However, Anthony has the opportunity to silence those critics once and for all and prove to the rest of the league that he is a top-five player.

How can he do this?

By committing to defense.

Anthony's inconsistent and lackadaisical defense is the only facet of his game that prevents him from being a top-five NBA player.  The rest of his game is already at that level.

At 25.5 points, Anthony is fifth in the league in scoring.  He also grabs over seven rebounds per game.

But understandably, this may not be enough for some to consider Anthony's game, sans defense, complete.  He has put up similar numbers his entire career and is mainly known for his ability to score and strong rebounding.

However, since Anthony has joined the Knicks, he has further enhanced other aspects of his game. His free-throw shooting is up to almost 88 percent and he has even raised his overall field-goal percentage slightly.

What has been really amazing, though, is Anthony's improvement from beyond the arc.  For his entire career, he was never a legitimate three-point threat to opposing defenses.

Until now.

Since coming to New York, Anthony is shooting 40 percent from downtown, which is almost nine percentage points above his career average.  He has been simply lethal from three-point range as of late.

Additionally, Anthony has shown the league he is not strictly an iso-oriented player.  

One of the knocks on Anthony as he began to transition into Mike D'Antoni's offensive system was that the team's ball movement slowed down when they ran the offense through him.

Anthony has proven otherwise as of late.  He is making quicker decisions and if he is not open or able to drive the lane when the ball is in his hands, he immediately passes it off.  He even dished out nine assists against Orlando in March.

Why is all of this relevant?

It shows that Anthony's offensive game is complete.  If the criteria for being a top-five NBA player was strictly based on offense, he would be a lock.

However, as it stands, Anthony must too show he is committed to defense before he can truly be considered a top-five player.  Defensive performance is part of the criteria for being a top-five player and it is the only facet of his game that prevents him from entering that category.

The good news for Anthony and his fans, though, is that he is fully capable of making an impact on defense.

Anthony tends to play defense with his hands, meaning he tends to take swipes at the ball as his man passes him rather than move his feet.  Now, sometimes Anthony is able to catch a player off guard—he averages nearly a steal per game—but overall, failure to move his feet has been Anthony's defensive downfall.

If he would keep his feet mobile, he would be able to keep his man in front him, making it that much harder for the opposition to penetrate on him.

Furthermore, by keeping his man in front of him, he would be able to force more turnovers.  Once the opposition realizes they cannot get by, they will be forced to try and make a difficult pass with the risk of it being intercepted, thereby creating more fast break opportunities for New York as well.

Also, if Anthony keeps his man in front of him, he gives himself the ability to draw more charges.  If his man has no one to pass it off to, he will be forced to try and go through Anthony.  And by being in front of his man, he can set his feet and force a turnover by taking the charge.

Anthony is young and agile, and he is doing himself and the Knicks a serious disservice by not moving his feet on defense.  

He should not be allowing opposing players to blow by him as easily as they do now.  He has the ability to make sharp lateral movements and stay with his man if he keeps his feet moving.  

If Anthony can learn to play defense with his feet, instead of his hands, he will be that much better of a player.  He will be able to be more aggressive, be in better positions to block shots and have the opportunity to draw charges.

Defense is the key for Anthony to enter the top-five player tier.  It is what separates him from LeBron James right now.  

Anthony can match James point for point, but cannot compete with him on defense.  And it is not due to lack of ability.  It is lack of commitment that is the culprit.

James plays defense with his feet and keeps his man in front of him.  He swarms opposing players, yet because his feet are mobile, he rarely lets anyone beat him off the dribble.

As a result, James shuts players down offensively and puts himself in a position to make steals and draw turnovers. 

And Anthony needs to get to that level on defense.

While he has shown an increased effort on the defensive end as of late, he has to continue to improve. He needs to swarm his man on defense while moving his feet to ensure he doesn't get beat off the dribble.

The rest of his game is immaculate, and a commitment to defense would make it absolutely complete.

Anthony has the opportunity to emerge as an indisputable top-five NBA player. 

Or he can continue to play in the shadow of James.

The choice is his.