Why Carmelo Anthony is succeeding with Blazers but failed with OKC Thunder

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 27: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Danilo Galinari #8 of the OKC Thunder, Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Blazers fights for position, (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 27: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Danilo Galinari #8 of the OKC Thunder, Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Blazers fights for position, (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
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OKC Thunder
OKC Thunder forward Jerami Grant defends former Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)

Rockets fit was even worse than Thunder:

In hindsight, no one should be surprised Anthony didn’t fit in Houston. After all, Chris Paul is one of the smartest basketball minds in the association and even he had difficulty performing at his best in a system designed solely to complement James Harden.

The only reason Westbrook is feasting is their small-ball system increased the club’s pace which is allowing Russ to be Russ. Plus for the first time in his career, he’s on a team with a plethora of 3-point snipers which opens the floor for him to run and gun to the basket. The combination of those factors allows Westbrook to play to his best ability.

The situation for Anthony wasn’t as pleasant since those changes hadn’t been adopted yet and their system only served to expose his weaknesses. That the Rockets pined for Melo for years and then cut him loose just 10 games into his tenure was deflating for the forward. For those wondering why the Rockets pulled the plug so quickly, GMs typically break the season into 10 game segments.