Carmelo Anthony recently shared an intriguing moment from his time with the Houston Rockets that sheds light on his experience of adapting to modern basketball philosophy.
On his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, he recalled a situation where his style of play clashed with the Rockets’ approach to shooting, particularly when he was told to stop taking mid-range shots.
Anthony, known for his ability to score in various ways, found himself caught between his natural game and the Rockets’ emphasis on analytics-driven shot selection. “Like now I’m ready to go to the season. They like ‘Noooooooo!’” he recalled, via HoopsHype, laughing about the moment when his coaching staff asked him to drastically change his approach.
He described how, during one practice, he had to catch himself after an instinctive reaction to take a shot that he had built his career on. “There’s a clip of me laughing running back down the court like ‘Yo, my bad, my bad.’” But what followed was a deeper reflection on how the request challenged his identity as a player.
For Anthony, the mid-range shot was not just a part of his game; it was a defining characteristic of his career. “You want me to take away everything that I built my career off of, my game?” he said. “This is why people know me. This is why people would want me on the team—to bring this right here.”
Carmelo’s frustration stemmed from the fact that his scoring versatility—particularly his ability to operate in the post and hit mid-range shots—was what made him so valuable.
“Especially with this team. This is what is missing. You missing a post-up guy. You missing somebody who can draw double-teams. You missing somebody who can score four or five different levels,” he explained. In his eyes, his skill set was an asset that could complement the likes of James Harden, Chris Paul, and Clint Capela, who were leading the Rockets at the time.
However, the Rockets’ system, focused on three-pointers and driving to the basket, had little room for mid-range shots. Anthony’s anecdote about the Rockets’ strategic shot chart further highlights the tension. He recalled seeing a list on the board that broke down shots per game, including an expectation of 40 three-pointers per game out of 90 possessions, with mid-range shots limited to just 12 or fewer. “Mid-range? 12 or less out of 90 possessions. And I’m sitting there like, ‘What?’” he said, clearly taken aback by the restrictive nature of the plan.
The conversation reveals not only the clash between traditional scoring and modern NBA trends but also the ego that can be involved when a player is asked to change their game. Anthony admitted that it was hard to reconcile this shift with his sense of self. “This is where, like, the ego comes into play,” he said, acknowledging the difficulty of stepping away from a game that had made him a star.
