As far back as the preseason, Anthony has been sprinting at dangerous shooters on the perimeter, something he hardly ever did last season. As a result, he has contested almost as many 3-pointers (17) this year as he did in 40 games last year (18).
And it seems to be working. Opposing shooters are making just 23.8% of their 3-pointers when Anthony is the closest defender to the play, according to SportVU player-tracking technology. That’s the second-lowest mark among all NBA wing defenders behind only LeBron James—a remarkable feat considering that Anthony surrendered the NBA’s second-highest percentage on 3-pointers (41.9%) last season.
This essentially makes Anthony a microcosm of the Knicks, who were dead last in 3-point defense last season, and rank second-best in that category this season.
Overall, opponents have shot just 34% when Anthony is the closest defender to the play, according to NBA.com, down from 44% in other situations. That 10-point disparity is the fourth-best in the NBA among players who have defended at least 100 field-goal attempts this year.