While Kiyan Anthony showed glimpses of potential in his freshman year at Syracuse, NBA icon Carmelo Anthony wants his son to learn from current NBA stars and develop his game before next season.

Carmelo Anthony talked college basketball in the latest episode of his podcast, 7 PM in Brooklyn. Asked about his son, Kiyan Anthony, and how his development could take shape in his sophomore year, the former Denver Nuggets star revealed he wants the Syracuse guard to find his pace on the floor.

Carmelo highlighted current NBA stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton, who, despite their slim build, have found success at the highest of levels, with both becoming multiple-time NBA All-Stars.

He said, “I’m not saying I want him (Kiyan) to play like John Wall’s pace. I want him to play at a Shai pace, I want him to play at a Haliburton pace… You could be slim, but you also gotta know how to utilize the strength that you have against a person who may be bigger, stronger.”

Despite flashing potential and averaging a solid 8 points in just 18.7 minutes per game, Kiyan Anthony’s inability to crack the starting lineup as a freshman highlighted a key area for improvement: his struggle against more physical opponents in isolation.’

While Tyrese Haliburton has worked on his physique during his long-term recovery process this year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander creates room for his shots or drives with his change of pace, dribbling, and also takes advantage of the player guarding him.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star is a genuine favorite to become the NBA MVP for this season, and is a menace on the floor, drawing fouls with ease when defenders try to guard him too physically.

Kiyan is currently 19 years old, and there is room for him to work on his physicality. Developing his pace and drives could be key to him breaking into the Syracuse starting five next season in college basketball.

The Syracuse guard is likely looking to follow in his father’s footsteps and enter the NBA in the future. And that desire could see the 19-year-old make a career decision early in his college basketball years.

Syracuse’s coaching decision could trigger a key Kiyan Anthony career choice

While Kiyan Anthony struggled to find consistency in his freshman year at Syracuse, former head coach Adrian Autry’s rotation choices didn’t help his cause.

The disappointing 15-17 regular season record was enough to trigger Autry’s departure, and new head coach Gerry McNamara’s arrival could help Syracuse keep Kiyan Anthony. McNamara and Kiyan’s father, Carmelo, was part of Syracuse’s historic freshman class of 2002-03 as the Orange won their only National Championship in program history.

That familiarity could be a key factor in Carmelo wanting Kiyan to stay at Syracuse. To add to it, McNamara has also proven his coaching pedigree, having almost coached Siena to a shocking upset against NCAA heavyweights Duke in the first round. The Blue Devils’ head coach, Jon Scheyer, even admitted to being out-coached by the 42-year-old.

McNamara troubled a five-star Duke team with limited resources, with the 42-year-old playing his starters for the entire 40 minutes in the first-round loss. Now, the former NCAA Champion will have more resources at his disposal and an emotional connection to the program at Syracuse.

Kiyan could learn how to use his slim build and develop into a better player without having to work too much on his physicality, with McNamara having a successful college career that saw the Orange even retire his #3 jersey.

Carmelo Anthony also endorsed ‘his brother’ McNamara’s hiring at Syracuse and could extend Kiyan’s stay with the Orange, trusting his development in his former teammate’s hands.