As the Los Angeles Lakers continue through a winless preseason, the team-wide sentiment has remained the same. This team is going to need some time to come together and play their best basketball. Carmelo Anthony knows this as well as anyone, with the Lakers being his fifth team in six years.
In the Lakers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Anthony had his best game thus far in the preseason. He scored 17 points on 5-of-7 from three while playing alongside Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis, but no LeBron James. Anthony’s biggest role this season is making open shots, and he’s already proving he can do that.
Anthony spoke about his hot shooting and how team chemistry is going to play a big role in his ability to get open jumpers this season. “It’s just a familiarity with the team,” Anthony said. “Just getting more familiar with the team, playing with these guys, the shots are gonna be there.
“It’s basketball at the end of the day and the more that we get on the court with each other and get that camaraderie and just figure it out, those shots will be there. Especially playing with [AD], LeBron and Russ, the way that they demand so much attention. So it’s just a matter of just being ready and taking the shots when they get there.”
This is one of the biggest advantages to having Westbrook with James on the Lakers. The two have such high basketball IQs and need so much attention defensively that players should be wide open for threes all season long. Anthony figures to be one of the main beneficiaries of that.
Of course, like everyone else has said, Anthony made sure to reiterate that this whole process is going to take time. This is especially true when the team has inherent flaws as the Lakers do.
Defense, spacing, and half-court offense will need time to get better, but everyone on the team clearly feels confident that it will come together.
Anthony not concerned about moving pieces in preseason
The Lakers forward admitted that he would like to see a more consistent rotation before the regular season begins, but he’s not concerned about it at the moment.
“We will, we will. That’s not something that we’re concerned about but we will. I think hopefully Tuesday we’ll start seeing that, start tightening it up a little more as far as lineups and rotations. But that’s up to Coach, whatever he decides when it comes to that.”
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