A Hall of Famer advised Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony to strongly consider coming off the bench to help improve the team. Tracy Mcgrady, who was recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, said Anthony should emulate Dwyane Wade’s decision to come off the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers. McGrady said Wade’s decision has paid dividends for the Cavaliers, who are now on a 10-game winning streak after a sluggish start to the season. McGrady told ESPN’s "The Jump" that if Anthony comes off the bench, the Thunder will have an additional scoring threat in the second unit while Russell Westbrook and Paul George lead the first unit.
McGrady said that if Wade did it, there will be no problem for Anthony to sacrifice for the greater good of the team.
Wade accepted reserve role with Cavaliers
Since he was drafted by the Miami Heat as the fifth overall pick in 2003, Wade has started 907 out of 936 career games. This season, Wade started three games before he asked the Cavaliers to move him to the bench and be replaced by JR Smith in the starting unit. The move has worked wonders for the team as they are now 15-7 after a 10-game winning streak. Since he became a reserve, Wade has been successfully anchoring the team’s second unit and providing a spark off the bench for the Cavaliers. In 21 games this season, Wade averaged 11.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
Wade’s performance has led teammate LeBron James to believe that he’s the leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award right now. “He's probably the number one candidate," James said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.
Anthony sees no change in starting unit
Earlier, Bleacher Report indicated that Anthony will not accept a reserve role with the Thunder despite their struggles this season.
“Hell no,” Anthony replied when asked if there’s a need for a change in the starting lineup. Despite having Westbrook, George and Anthony in their lineup, the Thunder are just 8-12 this season, losing their last three games. It has been a disappointing start for the Thunder, who were billed as one of the favorites in the Western Conference after acquiring George and Anthony via offseason trades with the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks, respectively.
In terms of scoring, the three superstars are delivering as expected, but the Thunder’s bench needs a boost in scoring that Anthony can provide if he agrees to a reserve role. Currently, the Thunder reserves contribute just 24.1 points per outing. Westbrook leads the Thunder with averages of 22.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per outing. Anthony is averaging 19.7 points and 6.2 rebounds, while George is averaging 20.2 points and 5.9 rebounds.
