My biggest defense of Melo is generally that he isn't as bad as the people who don't like him say he is. Now we saw some early extra effort to pass the ball more and be accountable and aggressive on defense.. we saw that. What we are seeing now is a player on a par with Lebron. 5 games (give or take) and counting. How does this story end?
I expect it to continue! This is what Phil was talking about last year. The entire focus of Phil, Fish and the staff is on Team Oriented play. They practice this way and it's the entire philosophy of the offense. MELO just finally fully bought into the true spirit of winning Ball that Phil has brought here. This is why I was sold on what Phil was all about and was looking to bring to NY!
Melo's at 22ppg 8.5rpg 4.5apg over the past 11 games. Truly the best, most team-oriented, impactful ball I've ever seen him play. Not to mention his defensive commitment
His unselfish play and commitment to D basically ensure the rest of the team does the same. It's leadership by example.
I hope this Melo is here for the next few years, at least. This kind of game theoretically will allow him to extend his career, too, you'd think.
