OKC Thunder’s Perfect Carmelo Anthony play book model is 2008 Paul Pierce

The Playbook:

Carmelo Anthony is similar to Paul Pierce in so many ways. Both are crafty, quasi-post players with clutch range all the way to the three-point line. Neither are particularly mobile, meaning they do not spend a lot of time running pick-and-rolls. Pulling up mostly comes from isolations, catch-and-shoots and the occasional pin-downs. Here is the film comparison between the two:

1. Spotting up

Paul Pierce spent a big portion of his time with the Celtics off-ball, spotting up on the weak-side. This action was not about him choosing to relinquish control of the play. Pierce simply trusted that he can wait for a catch-and-shoot opportunity and his point guard will find him.

Likewise, Billy Donovan can easily slot Carmelo Anthony in for spot-ups, and sometimes even as part of more complex sets. Here, Anthony basically gestures for Ron Baker to send the ball to the opposite side of the floor, while he screens for Baker to pop out. Naturally, it leaves him with a window of opportunity, more than enough for him to splash.

2. Driving into the paint

Paul Pierce was also an expert of using his body to get to the rim. Here, he curls off the Kevin Garnett handoff, crosses Kobe Bryant up and basically bulls his way into a layup.

With the OKC Thunder, Carmelo Anthony will probably see more minutes at the 4 than Pierce did. Doing so accentuates his advantage off the dribble. Bigs like Mo Speights have no chance against Anthony’s handles and agility, as seen by Melo’s delightful hesitation crossover here.

3. Getting down low

The Boston Celtics’ offense was not overly-complex, which makes it easy for Billy Donovan to adapt. Look at how a simple cross screen under the block gets Paul Pierce deep position. Before the defense can even react, Pierce spins into the lane in a classic post play.

Witness here where Carmelo Anthony curls around the screen, leaving the entire lane wide open. The OKC Thunder probably will not provide him with this degree of spacing. But, Paul Pierce’s example shows that even in a clogged lane, these low post screens are enough to generate easier looks.

4. Attacking off the pick-and-roll

Naturally, as an isolation-heavy player, Paul Pierce spent a good amount of time attacking off the pick-and-roll. In Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins, Pierce had fantastic screeners on his team, who gave him distance from his defender to pull-up.

Perhaps not by accident, the OKC Thunder’s screener protégé happens to be Kendrick Perkins’ own disciple, Steven Adams. Carmelo Anthony should find that playing with Adams will certainly help in knocking his defender out of the way. Regardless, Anthony is an efficient midrange shooter who can rack up points even with two defenders in his face.

5. Passing

Paul Pierce was also a passing threat whenever he ran the pick-and-roll. In what became one of Kevin Garnett’s most iconic moments of the ’08 championship, Paul Pierce ran and executed the pocket pass out of a pick-and-roll to perfection.

Getting Carmelo Anthony to become a passer might be the most important job for Billy Donovan. Between Paul George, Westbrook and Anthony, George will probably be the one seeing time running with the second unit. Because of that, Melo will have plenty of chances to feast on pick-and-pops and kick outs with Westbrook. But, if Carmelo Anthony can do what Paul Pierce occasionally did, the OKC Thunder could become one of the league’s most relentless offensive teams.

As a player, Carmelo, like Pierce, will inevitably demand his share of isolation touches. Anthony, in particular, will probably spend a good number of possessions breaking down his defender from triple threat position while the rest of the team stands around.

But, Doc Rivers’ work with Paul Pierce, another isolation-gifted, do-it-all scorer should give Billy Donovan hope. The Celtics system was a relatively straightforward half-court offense, that channeled, rather than condemned, Pierce’s isolation gifts. Even though it is an unlikely match, Billy Donovan will do well to take notes.