Opinion: One game not enough to determine if Carmelo Anthony can help Trail Blazers

Carmelo Anthony isn't washed. He can still play.

But can — or will — he help the Portland Trail Blazers? That’s the question that slices into the heart of the topic.

His Portland debut on Tuesday against New Orleans revealed no firm answers. His performance was what you should expect from a 35-year-old who hasn’t played in the NBA since Nov. 8, 2018.

He had 10 points and four rebounds in the Trail Blazers' 115-104 loss against the Pelicans.

Anthony did what he has done throughout his career: he looked to score, was aggressive, revealed some quickness and relished physical contact as a way to create an advantage against his defender. He also showed some ability as the screener in pick-and-roll situations.

He made just 4-for-14 shots from the field, and had trouble against longer defenders. He was an encouraging 2-for-3 on 3-pointers.

It’s low-hanging fruit to pick on Anthony’s trouble spots, and social media had a field day with that. New Orleans outscored Portland by 20 points while Anthony was on the court for 23 minutes, 37 seconds, his usage rate was a too-high 36.5% and five turnovers-to-zero assists made matters worse.

That’s not redeeming. But one game is the smallest of sample sizes. It is impractical to make sweeping conclusions about Anthony’s fit with Portland. It is reasonable to say the Blazers need to find better ways to use him, such as more pick-and-rolls with him setting picks.

If this move to sign Anthony looks desperate, it’s because the Blazers, who reached the Western Conference finals last season, are desperate. They are 5-10, slowed by injuries to Zach Collins, Jusuf Nurkic and Pau Gasol, and Hassan Whiteside hasn’t been a good fit. Portland needed to do something. Anthony, also desperate to play in the NBA again, was a viable option.

Anthony needs more than one game, and Blazers coach Terry Stotts needs time to figure out where, when and with whom Anthony works best. That won’t happen in Game 1, especially without a practice.

For starters, Anthony was in the starting lineup because Damian Lillard missed the game because of back spasms. Anthony will be a reserve when Lillard is in the lineup, and that’s where he can help since Portland is 27th in bench scoring.

Anthony’s reputation as a ball-stopper whose mid-range, isolation game isn’t suitable in today’s NBA has kept him out of the league for a year. He’s obviously better than some players who are in the league, but Anthony must be willing to adapt. He says he is.

"What happened before is the past," Anthony said in a video posted on his YouTube channel on Monday. "I can't dwell on that. I learned from that. This happened at a point and time in my life where I do have a lot of clarity and understanding of different situations and just life, and my approach is totally different."

So, how much time does this relationship get? Anthony’s non-guaranteed contract becomes fully guaranteed if he is not waived by Jan. 7. It’s unlikely Nurkic and Collins are back by then, but it’s still 22 games.

If Anthony is truly willing to play a different, lesser role than he has throughout his career, it’s on Stotts to find it and help Anthony succeed.