NY Knicks: How Can Carmelo Anthony Evolve His Game for Next Season?

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is notorious for his jovial attitude and camera-ready smile. He also has taken the brunt of criticism for carrying his lighthearted ways from the practice court to the arena.

After a humiliating 4-1 series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals and an Eastern Conference finals elimination at the hands of the Boston Celtics the following year, Howard vowed to be entirely straight-laced heading into the 2010-11 season. Realizing his window to bring a title to Orlando was closing, Howard’s maturity factored into his decision to leave the jokes to the famous comedian sitting courtside.

An offseason of commitment and hard work culminated in Howard’s most impressive season to date—one in which he bettered his career-best scoring average by more than two points per game. His on-court demeanor was noticeably solemn, but his dedication and drive to perform had risen to new heights.

Eight-year veteran Carmelo Anthony can begin his metamorphosis into a greater leader and possibly even a top-five player by taking a page out of Howard’s book. Like Howard, Anthony is cheerful by nature and has been known to crack a smirk or two in the heat of battle.

While I’m not saying there’s no place for smiling in sports, all of the NBA’s elite know when it’s time to put their game faces on.

From the opening tip, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are all business, and it’s no coincidence that their teams respond with victories more often than not. Sometimes the look on a player’s face (think Kevin Garnett) can be downright scary, but it’s all about having the right mindset and putting yourself in that competitive zone.

Anthony primarily needs to adapt this killer instinct because it’s contagious; teammates of inferior ability will step up their game knowing that anything less is unacceptable to the team’s star. Sometimes, this not only means leading by example but establishing a greater vocal presence as well.

If Anthony learns to take the bull by the horns—not only via his actions but words too—he will have a profound effect on his counterparts and, ultimately, the outcome of games.

The ideal that Carmelo Anthony and defense cannot coincide is old news. Even his former Denver Nuggets coach, George Karl, made no bones about Anthony’s less-than-stellar defensive skills in an interview shortly after the blockbuster trade.

There’s absolutely no excuse that Anthony can’t be as great a defender as LeBron James. James may have the slight edge athletically, but they both have similar body types and are in close proximity in height and weight. The difference between the two superstars is Anthony is content being the most offensively gifted, while James displays the desire to be the best player on the floor, period.

As we witnessed in the first round of this year’s playoffs, Anthony provided glimpses of what he’s capable of defensively against the Boston Celtics when there was no alternative. With Chauncey Billups and Amar’e Stoudemire either sitting out or playing hurt, Anthony was forced to step up when his team counted on him most.

In what was his greatest offensive postseason performance during Game 2, Anthony also chipped in 17 rebounds (12 defensive) and two blocks to go along with his 42 points and six assists. It’s clearly not that he’s incapable, but the effort and energy just needs to be at full throttle regardless of the pressure of the situation.

If Anthony can boast averages of a steal and a block per outing, he no longer deserves to be excluded from discussions regarding the league’s premier talent.

It’s no small feat when TNT analyst and basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley calls you the best offensive player in the NBA. However, for Anthony truly to become unstoppable, he must continue to shoot from long range as he has since arriving in New York.

A career 32 percent shooter beyond the arc, Anthony sank the deep-ball at an alarming 42 percent clip upon joining the Knicks. To put it into perspective, only seven players had better three-point shooting percentages over the course of the season—a couple of whom would be considered “three-point specialists.”

Lucky or not, Anthony seemed to have found a groove on the right wing, and he drilled threes with deadly accuracy from that spot. If he devotes himself to perfecting the “trifecta” over the course of the summer, Anthony will become virtually un-guardable. As of right now, this is the only offensive attribute separating Anthony from Kevin Durant, the game’s No. 1 scoring assassin.

It is still up in the air whether Carmelo Anthony will choose to elevate his play by incorporating these recommendations. But if he does take heed, not only will Anthony have reason to be grinning from ear to ear, all of New York will too.