After an illustrious career spanning nearly two decades in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony officially announced his retirement in 2023 while he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout his career, Melo played for several teams. Yet, his time with the New York Knicks, particularly during the 2012-13 season, could be easily labeled as his career’s peak time.
During a conversation on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, the former Knicks star shared a bold claim about his Knicks career, though he once turned down an offer to return to the Knicks. He confidently asserted that if he were playing for the Knicks in his prime today, he would be averaging at least 28 points per game.
“I think I’ll be very similar to where I was at that point in time. Because of the makeup of the team. Not ‘I’m just gonna go score’ but I can be very effective and master s**t that I need to do in this offense. If I’m taking that player and implementing that into today’s game, it’d be very efficient; it’d be very effective,” Melo said.
“Like for what I know now and having that and being able to implement that into today? With that being said, to be able to play in this type of system today where it’s like four out, one in, pass and move… with this team, I’m averaging 28,” he added.
How Was Carmelo Anthony’s 2012-13 Season?
Anthony’s 2012-13 season stands out as perhaps the pinnacle of his NBA career. During that year, he was instrumental in leading the New York Knicks to a strong 54-28 regular-season record. With him, they secured the second seed in the highly competitive Eastern Conference.
In that remarkable season, Melo posted averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. It was the third time in his career that he averaged 28 points per game.
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That year, he garnered attention as one of the league’s top pure scorers. He didn’t capture the MVP award that year. However, his performance gained consideration as he earned a spot in his sixth NBA All-Star Game.
