When Carmelo Anthony signed a one-year deal to come to the Los Angeles Lakers, the key skill in the move was his shooting.
Anthony has become more efficient the last two seasons with this 3-point shot; last year, he nailed 40.9% of them on 4.7 attempts, which is a type of volume the Lakers didn’t have much of last year.
The defensive liabilities to his game are well-known, but that level of shooting will be extremely optimal for a team led by LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
Anthony’s exact role in the squad is undetermined, but head coach Frank Vogel explained what could be in store for the veteran.
“This is all still to be determined,” Vogel said. “We spoke before he signed here, I told him that I envisioned a big role on this team. I don’t know what that is going to look like, whether he’s going to start, whether he’s going to come off the bench, but that he’s going to be a factor for us.”
Vogel explained how other offseason moves play into Anthony’s importance.
“We lost shooting in the (Russell Westbrook) trade with KCP (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) and Kuz (Kyle Kuzma) going out,” Vogel said. “I feel like this is the time where he’s going to have a significant role with our group.”
Vogel added the only time the two have talked about Anthony’s role was when he signed, but more conversations will transpire the closer the team gets to the regular season.
