Carmelo Anthony was on the verge of being out of the league. After failed stints with the OKC Thunder and the Houston Rockets, it genuinely looked like Melo may be done for. No team picked him up for the 2018/19 season after the Rockets released him after 10 games. However, an injury-riddled Portland Trail Blazers gave Melo a chance last season.

Anthony rediscovered his form in a smaller role in Portland. Damian Lillard and C. J. McCollum led the offense, and Anthony became a spark plug off the bench. He eventually got into the starting lineup as the Blazers came back to make the Playoffs. They have high hopes from their team this season, and Anthony has commented about him accepting this role.

“I went out there approaching the game the same way. It’s basketball skill reasons coming off the bench, It’s what’s best for the actual team in this environment. It was a different emotion, a different feeling, but once you get past that, it’s basketball.”

One of the reasons people look to while explaining Melo bouncing around the league is him not accepting smaller roles. However, we can all see now that it has worked out with him.

Will Carmelo Anthony make the Trail Blazers legitimate contenders?

Considering that Anthony is back in the flow of the team, has gotten in better shape, and that the team has added more talent, the Trail Blazers will have high hopes this season. Lillard is a player that strives to win and has shown that ability on countless occasions. All he needs is a reliable team around him.

He has lost many co-stars over the years in LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum (when he was good), and others. But now with CJ, Melo, Jusuf Nurkic, and Robert Covington, this team is looking dangerous.

The Western Conference is a blood-bath this season, and Portland would want to be in the Playoffs at the end of the day. In a seven-game series, any team with Damian Lillard has a shot at winning. Hopefully, this season comes good for this perennial playoff team.