Carmelo Anthony’s iconic years: Knicks vs Nuggets Stint Comparison
Which of the two stints was better in Carmelo Anthony's NBA career – the one with the Denver Nuggets or the New York Knicks?
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Carmelo Anthony
As Carmelo Anthony hangs up his boots, the NBA world will remember the forward as one of the most prolific scorers in the league. A ten-time All-Star, Anthony scored 28,289 points across the 19 seasons in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony’s distinctive years were spent with the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks. So which of the two phases of his career was better in terms of individual and team performance?
Drafted in 2003 by the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony played for the franchise until 2011. He helped his team make the NBA playoffs every season during his tenure at the Nuggets and was a significant part of the squad. He would then go on to be traded to the New York Knicks in 2011 and his stint with the franchise was no less spectacular.
Anthony performed with a rejuvenated drive for the Knicks and would win the 2013 scoring title. So exactly which of the two stints of Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career was more iconic – the years with the Nuggets or the Knicks? Here’s a detailed comparison.
Related: Carmelo Anthony career earnings: How much did the NBA legend bag until retirement?
Individual Stats: Denver Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony played for the Nuggets from 2003 to 2011, for seven and a half seasons in the NBA. Across the 564 Games he featured in for the franchise, Carmelo averaged 24.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Although merely, the numbers do not translate Anthony’s impact on the squad. The Nuggets heavily relied on Anthony for creating interior gravity from outside shots and that is something we didn’t see him at for the Knicks. During his Knicks career, Carmelo Anthony managed to score 10,186 points in about six and a half seasons. He averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
Although the numbers do not stand in contrast to one another and the differences are only minor, Carmelo Anthony had slightly better stats during his time with the Nuggets.
Scoring Prowess: New York Knicks
Anthony displayed his fair share of scoring prowess during his stints with both the Nuggets and the Knicks. However, it was with the New York Knicks that he won the only scoring title of his career in 2013, ahead of Kevin Durant.
To compare his scoring averages being 24.8 points and 24.7 points per game, respectively, Carmelo Anthony evolved into a somewhat long-distance shooter during his Knicks career following the 2012 Olympics.
Team Brilliance: Denver Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony played for the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks in the 2000s decade and 2010s decade respectively. Needless to say, the two franchises had rather different formations. As to how much of Anthony’s individual brilliance had his teams been able to convert to collective glory is also worth considering.
The Denver Nuggets made it to the NBA playoffs in every single season Anthony spent with the franchise. Anthony won two division titles with the Nuggets and played in the Conference Finals in 2009. As for the Knicks, they made NBA playoff appearances in 2011, 2012 and 2013 with Anthony on the roster.
When the forward was struggling to perform with the Nuggets, his signing came as a burst of power for the Knicks, where he would spend six and a half seasons. Nevertheless, Anthony remained a prolific scorer throughout his stints with the two franchises. As Carmelo Anthony retires with 28,289 points to his name, he leaves his mark as the ninth name on the NBA all-time scoring charts.
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Ritvik Malhotra
(1085 Articles Published)