Carmelo Anthony on cusp of reaching Top 10 all-time in scoring

Dominique Wilkins, Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, and Tim Duncan.

Those are the players that Carmelo Anthony has passed in career scoring so far this season. After beginning the 2020-21 season ranked 15^th on the all-time scoring list, Anthony enters Monday’s game needing 10 points to pass Elvin Hayes and enter the top 10 scorers in the 75-year history of the NBA.

In his 18^th season, Anthony is currently averaging 13.6 points per game for the Portland Trail Blazers, who face the Hawks in Atlanta on Monday (8 ET, NBA League Pass), giving Carmelo an opportunity to put himself in the top 10 scorers club with just one more double-digit scoring night in a career full of them.

Top 11 Scorers – NBA History (entering Monday, May 3, 2021)

RANK	PLAYER	GP	PTS	PTS/GM	TS%
1	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	1,560	38,387	24.61	59.2
2	Karl Malone	1,476	36,928	25.02	57.7
3	LeBron James	1,307	35,299	27.01	58.7
4	Kobe Bryant	1,346	33,643	24.99	55.0
5	Michael Jordan	1,072	32,292	30.12	56.9
6	Dirk Nowitzki	1,522	31,560	20.74	57.7
7	Wilt Chamberlain	1,045	31,419	30.07	54.7
8	Shaquille O’Neal	1,207	28,596	23.69	58.6
9	Moses Malone	1,329	27,409	20.62	56.9
10	Elvin Hayes	1,303	27,313	20.96	49.1
11	Carmelo Anthony	1,185	27,304	23.04	54.2

Carmelo, after guiding Syracuse to the NCAA national championship in his freshman year, entered the 2003 NBA Draft. He was chosen by the Denver Nuggets as the No. 3 overall pick and immediately started scoring from the very first day.

In the 2003-04 season, Anthony was the highest scoring rookie with an average of 21.0 points per game. He narrowly surpassed Rookie of the Year winner LeBron James who averaged 20.9 points per game. This remarkable class also included Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh among the top five picks.

Carmelo made an instant impact with the Nuggets, who went from 17-65 and 29^th in the league in scoring in 2002-03 to 43-39 and fifth in scoring in Anthony’s rookie season. He spent the first seven-and-a-half seasons of his career in Nuggets blue and yellow and made the playoffs every season.

While playing with the Nuggets, Anthony accumulated 13,970 points, the third highest in the team’s history, over 564 games, averaging 24.77 points per game. His shooting percentage was 45.9% from the field (4,989 out of 10,877 attempts), 31.1% from the 3-point range (410 out of 1,320 attempts), and 80.3% from the free throw line (3,582 out of 4,462 attempts).

Halfway into the 2010-11 season, Carmelo was transferred to the New York Knicks. Despite the shift from Colorado’s mountainous terrain to the urban streets of New York City, Carmelo’s scoring streak continued unabated as he consistently scored points every game at his new home base, Madison Square Garden.

Indeed, the scoring continued almost at the same rate as it did in Denver. Anthony averaged 24.77 points per game with the Nuggets and then 27.72 points per game with the Knicks. The difference in his scoring average was a mere 0.05 points per game between his first seven-and-a-half seasons and the following six-and-a-half seasons. In total, over 14 seasons, Anthony consistently ranked as one of the league’s top scorers.

Carmelo only secured one scoring title in his career (2012-13, 28.7 ppg), however, he consistently ranked in the top 10 in scoring for nine consecutive seasons (2005-06 to 2013-14). Within this period, he also came in second for the scoring title twice.

After the 2016-17 season, the Knicks sent Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder, marking the beginning of the third stage of Carmelo’s career. He is currently a vital reserve for the Portland Blazers, who have won four consecutive games. They are aiming to rise from the Play-In Tournament and secure a playoff spot for the eighth consecutive season.

Carmelo, scoring an average of 13.6 points per game, is Portland’s fourth-leading scorer. However, his role was more prominent earlier in the season when CJ McCollum was absent due to a foot fracture that lasted two months. As the postseason approaches, having a dependable veteran scorer who can make open shots or create his own opportunities via dribbling or post play is an invaluable asset.

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Let’s take another look at the roster of Hall of Famers that Carmelo Anthony has surpassed this season and is on track to surpass this week – Tim Duncan (1997-2016), Dominique Wilkins (1982-99), Oscar Robertson (1960-74), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-2002), and Elvin Hayes (1968-84). These five athletes cover almost the entire history of the NBA, embodying different positions and eras. What sets them apart is their exceptional talent, which would have made them stand out in any era of the game. The same could be said about Carmelo Anthony.

The robustness of past generations wouldn’t have fazed Carmelo – he’s among the most formidable wing players in the game. His skills extend to playing in the post, driving the lane, and finishing despite contact. Hand checking and hard fouls would not have discouraged him.

He doesn’t rely too much on the 3-point shot, unlike many of today’s high-scoring players who heavily depend on it to accumulate their points. While Carmelo has the ability to shoot three pointers, it was never his primary scoring method. As the above chart shows, most of his points were earned in the restricted area (3,892 FGM) or the mid-range (3,543 FGM). These two zones represent 56.2% of Anthony’s total points, while an additional 23.4% were scored from the free throw line.

Anthony may not possess lightning-fast speed, the ability to leap extraordinarily high, or take shots from 40 feet out (similar to his current teammate Damian Lillard). However, he leverages his size, nimble first step, and exceptional footwork to perpetually keep defenders on their toes as they attempt to restrain him.

If you guard him too closely, he can outmaneuver you, drive towards the basket, draw a foul, or successfully pull off a jump shot. If you don’t guard him closely enough, he’ll take advantage by sinking a 3-pointer and triumphantly tapping his temple thrice while running down the court as a reminder not to leave him unguarded. If the offense is struggling or time is running out on the shot clock and a shot needs to be taken, just locate Carmelo in the post and let him do his magic.

Anthony is poised to enter the top 10 scorers club soon, possibly as early as Monday or later in the week, with the potential to rise even higher on the list. The next target for him is Moses Malone, who currently holds a slim lead of only 118 points over Anthony. Given his current scoring rate, Anthony would require nine games to overtake Malone for the ninth position. Conveniently, the Blazers have nine remaining regular-season games for him to achieve this feat.