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Three Improvements Tobias Harris Can Make to become ‘More Melo’

By Brett David Roberts

Feb 21, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is guarded by Orlando Magic small forward Tobias Harris (12) in the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is guarded by Orlando Magic small forward Tobias Harris (12) in the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 23, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris (12) shoots over New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris (12) shoots over New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Tobias Harris averages seven fewer points per game than Carmelo Anthony, and given the similar skill sets it’s worth looking at how he can make those up.

The most common comparison made for Orlando Magic swingman Tobias Harris is indisputably that of Carmelo Anthony, for better or worse. But what does Anthony do that has renders him a perennial All Star while Harris is still searching for his first All-Star bid?

This era of NBA basketball has gone further away from the notion a forward must be either a ‘3’ or a ‘4.’ There can be endless debate about which position a guy should really play. But when all frivolous arguments are cast aside, there is still the raw matter of how well a player can actually play.

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Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal /

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    • Carmelo Anthony has put together a great career as a “tweener,” and while he may be best suited to the 4-spot, his successes have shown that a great basketball player is going to find ways to excel.

    The real parallel here is trying to determine what Harris can do to become as good as his pro comparison. How can Harris go from being a “poor man’s Melo” to a player who is just as good as the Knicks’ marquee player?

    First, let’s save the debates about whether Harris should try to emulate Anthony citing Anthony’s lack of rings as some sort of proof his style is not effective. It is.

    Anthony may not be on the level that LeBron James is, but a lot of (great) players go entire careers without a ring, and it really is not the metric we are focused on in looking at Harris’ opportunities to improve.

    So, sure, Anthony has not won a ring, but he has made eight All Star appearances and he won a NCAA title in his lone season at Syracuse.

    There is no doubt he can hoop, and any arguments that his style of play leads to losing basketball really need to begin and end with the disaster that has been the Knicks franchise for a while now.

    That said, let’s move into what makes Anthony a better player than Harris, and how Harris can begin to incorporate new features into his game to make him a more effective player.

    Next: Improvement One: The Mid-Range