Carmelo Anthony is officially an early frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year, two years after it appeared that his already-Hall-of-Fame-caliber NBA career was over. As many other Lakers offseason acquisitions have been hurt or struggled to open the 2021-22 season, Melo has been a revelation. He looks right at home as the off-ball stretch-four bench scorer that he resisted becoming for years before embracing the role with the Trail Blazers to revive his career. He’s been as effective as ever while playing it in Los Angeles.
In his first 11 games as a Laker, Melo is averaging 17.