Outside of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony is the most anticipated new player on the Los Angeles Lakers. While he is no longer in his prime, Anthony is a future Hall of Famer who is looking for his first-ever NBA Championship with the Lakers.
Melo made it very clear that he is indeed ring chasing with the Lakers and the hope is that the team can not only win it all but that Melo can have a legitimate impact on the team as well.
The 2021-22 season is going to be a fun one with Carmelo regardless.
Here are three bold predictions for Carmelo Anthony with the Los Angeles Lakers.
1. Carmelo Anthony does not start more than 20 games with the Los Angeles Lakers
While Carmelo Anthony is one of the biggest names on the Los Angeles Lakers it is hard to find room for him in the starting five. He will still have a big role off the bench, but Laker fans should not be expecting him to start many games, especially when the team is fully healthy and no one is resting.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are obvious shoe-ins for the starting five. The team is probably going to start a traditional center with those three, so either Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan, and a sharpshooting two-guard.
While Carmelo shot over 40% from beyond the arc last season, he did not take threes at that high of a rate and is not a two-guard. Instead, the team is more likely to start someone along the lines of Wayne Ellington.
Don’t be shocked when Carmelo Anthony is not announced in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers.