By CHRIS HERRING
Updated Dec. 15, 2015 8:12 p.m. ET
1 COMMENTS
It hasn’t exactly been a banner season for Carmelo Anthony, whose Knicks, though clearly improved from last year, have lost seven of 10 games heading into Wednesday’s contest against Minnesota.

Anthony has struggled to find consistency on offense after a major knee operation in February. Even after his best shooting game of the season, a 13-for-21 night for 37 points in a win over Portland on Saturday, the 31-year-old forward is making a career-low 41.2% of his shots while scoring 21.8 points a game, his lowest average since 2004.

But while his offense has lagged, Anthony has managed to raise his game on defense—a clear and welcome shift from last season, when his sluggishness was so notable that team president Phil Jackson pulled him aside at one point to ask why he wasn’t more active on that end of the floor.

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Thanks in part to his surgically repaired knee, Anthony has appeared committed to playing tighter, more attentive defense along the perimeter this year. He has also made several stops as the lone defender back guarding a player who’s leading a fast break.

“Last year, he physically wasn’t able to do a lot of the things we ask our guys to do on the defensive end, and was very limited,” coach Derek Fisher said. “This year, the effort and mind-set have been there. He’s expending more energy on that end of the floor, which impacts your offense. That’s why some guys don’t like playing defense: the intensity takes away from how much you can put into your offense.”

Anthony’s aggressive close-outs on jump shooters have been the most noticeable difference from 2014-15.

ENLARGE
As far back as the preseason, Anthony has been sprinting at dangerous shooters on the perimeter, something he hardly ever did last season. As a result, he has contested almost as many 3-pointers (17) this year as he did in 40 games last year (18).

And it seems to be working. Opposing shooters are making just 23.8% of their 3-pointers when Anthony is the closest defender to the play, according to SportVU player-tracking technology. That’s the second-lowest mark among all NBA wing defenders behind only LeBron James—a remarkable feat considering that Anthony surrendered the NBA’s second-highest percentage on 3-pointers (41.9%) last season.

This essentially makes Anthony a microcosm of the Knicks, who were dead last in 3-point defense last season, and rank second-best in that category this season.

Overall, opponents have shot just 34% when Anthony is the closest defender to the play, according to NBA.com, down from 44% in other situations. That 10-point disparity is the fourth-best in the NBA among players who have defended at least 100 field-goal attempts this year.

It’s always encouraging to hear that the Knicks are making strides on defense, even if it has translated into just 11 wins in 25 games. But to be clear, Anthony is still a long way from being an elite defender.

He continues to suffer lazy moments, as he did last week when he needlessly switched off Dirk Nowitzki in a 104-97 loss to Dallas, allowing the Mavericks’ sharpshooter to torch clear mismatches. Anthony also has the benefit of two 7-footers this season, Robin Lopez and Kristaps Porzingis, to help improve his defensive metrics by cleaning up mistakes and altering shots at the rim. And frankly, Anthony has gotten lucky at times when he’s left an opponent open along the perimeter.

Some of those looks are by design: The Knicks’ defense is more gameplan-savvy this year. “We’ve spent more time on recognition in walk-throughs, so we know who we can leave open and who we can’t,” said forward Lance Thomas.

But with opponents shooting 29% from long range when Anthony leaves more than 6 feet of space—down from 50% when he left that much room last season—it’s safe to assume that he won’t remain basketball’s second-best perimeter defender for the rest of the season.

‘I know scoring is my thing. I could do it, I believe, better than anybody. But I can do more than that. And to be a leader, I have to do more than that.’
—Carmelo Anthony
Nevertheless, his effort has been markedly better lately, both when he has shot well and when he hasn’t, particularly in transition and in help situations.

It’s a new look for Anthony. During Saturday’s win over Portland, Blazers announcer Mike Rice Sr. was actually startled by the defensive energy, saying, “Carmelo playing good defense tonight—not to sound too surprised by that, but the Knicks have clearly fed off that, and played good D.”

Anthony, who insisted when the season began that he wanted his coaches to hold him more accountable defensively, said he is using his 13 years of NBA experience to help him. For example, he has shown great timing in negating passes and shots by swinging his arm across his body at just the right angle to connect with the ball.

Whatever the cause of his improvement, he knows the Knicks will go as far as he takes them, and that simply putting the ball in the basket won’t be enough. He also understands the long-running criticism of his defense.

“Obviously, with guys in my position, it is what it is. You’ll never win that battle,” he said. “If you do one thing so great, that will always overshadow anything else you do on the basketball court. I know scoring is my thing. I could do it, I believe, better than anybody. But I can do more than that. And to be a leader, I have to do more than that.”