There's no more encompassing proof of the concept that you need good players on your team to do anything in pro sports than Carmelo Anthony. Jim Boeheim [makes that point as good](https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-former-syracuse-coach-jim-boeheim-carmelo-anthony-s-hof-induction-legendary-cinderella-run-lot-exclusive) as anyone in a recent interview with Sportskeeda, and thankfully, the Spurs have always known that. It helped inform the culture-building that the organization has focused on throughout history.
Boeheim was a legendary coach at Syracuse, and so he had the pleasure of coaching a young Melo. That also means he probably has a little bias to his opinion, but he was still correct when defending Anthony's career with the Nuggets and New York.
"Whether it was Denver or the Knicks, he made them better. They had to go up against the Lakers and the Spurs in Denver. They couldn’t do it, but he made the team better. That’s all you can do sometimes as players."
Every superstar needs help to win
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You can criticize Carmelo's playstyle all you want, but you can't deny how special he was as an offensive player. If you go back and look at his playoff stats, he often showed up and did exactly what he should have done: ball out. Those matchups with the Spurs and Lakers were tough for the Nuggets, but he did everything he could.
When you look at the numbers, he often scored in the high 20s or 30s and still ended up with losses. It was either because the team around him couldn't come along for the ride, or they weren't put together in a way that truly maximized the roster. If you have a player who can score like Melo could, you should probably get a lot of defenders, right? But that was never what he had to play with.
It was usually other guys who wanted to shoot the ball and struggled on defense, but he'd drag these teams to the playoffs anyway. The best teams he had were ones with that dynamic.
It makes you grateful for what San Antonio has built. The role players usually fit very well with the stars, building a cohesive team that makes sense on the court. The Spurs have never relied on just trying to gather big names together, hoping they'd work well.
That's what everyone is concerned about now with Victor Wembanyama. This is the era of spacing. It's [never been more important](https://airalamo.com/victor-wembanyama-drivers-nightmares-stat-proves), and there's so much uncertainty surrounding SA's shooters, which makes the fans uneasy. I'd caution patience, though. They haven't forgotten that the pieces need to fit together.
It's been the staple of their roster creation for years, and that won't change now.