New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony believes he is the most underrated NBA player in the league, but is unfazed by it. In the triangle offense of Knicks president Phil Jackson, though, Anthony could enjoy his best all-around season yet.
Skeptics don't believe Anthony is capable of carrying a team to an NBA championship, believing him to be only a high-volume scorer. Anthony has heard the criticism and believes it just goes to show he's the most underrated player in the league, something that he doesn't let get to him.
"I think I'm the most underrated superstar that's out there (laughs) but that doesn't matter to me," Anthony said Wednesday, via ESPN. "... I know what I'm capable of doing. I know the grind and the hard work I put in to this. I know how consistent I've been over my career. To do it day in and day out and night in and night out on a very consistent basis year in year out, I know what I can do and I know the work I've put in.
"So far as caring about if I'm underrated as a superstar, and getting the respect I deserve, I don't worry about that. In due time if everything goes well, I will get it."
The transition into Jackson's vaunted triangle offense, led by first-year coach Derek Fisher, could help Anthony get the respect he believes he deserves. While his number of shots per game will likely go down, his other stats - such as assists and rebounds - are expected to improve, which would help dispel the popular notion Anthony is just a shooter.
"(The triangle offense will) give him opportunity to be a passer, a rebounder, and probably easier spots to score from than he's had before," Jackson said Sept. 24, via the New York Post. "... The ball can't stop. The ball has to continually move. It moves, or goes to the hoop on a shot or a drive or something like that."
