Carmelo Anthony Leading the NBA in Scoring

Denver Nuggets' small forward Carmelo Anthony was the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Anthony entered the NBA Draft after leading Syracuse to a national championship in his freshman season. He's part of the same draft class as Cleveland Cavaliers' small forward LeBron James and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade. Those two have become superstars, with Wade winning an NBA championship, and James leading his team to the NBA finals. Anthony has not made it to the NBA Finals, and while he's considered a star, has taken a back seat to James and Wade.

Anthony has improved from last year, and his Nuggets lead the Northwest Division with a 19-8 record. His 30.1 points per game lead the NBA, and he has snatched 6.1 boards per game. He has shot 47.9% from the field, after shooting 44.3% last year. His 87.6% free throw percentage is a career best by 6.8%. He has gotten to the charity stripe 9.9 times per game, while his prior career best was 8.9 times per game.

The Nugget is in his seventh year in the NBA. With how long he's been in the league, people sometimes forget that he's still just 25-years-old. He really hasn't even entered his prime yet.

Point guard Chauncey Billups was acquired from the Detroit Pistons for shooting guard Allen Iverson during the 2008/09 season. With Billups at the helm, Denver qualified for the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Billups, like Iverson, can score well. But, he gives Anthony a better sidekick than Iverson because he's a good passer. The Nuggets also have a good supporting cast. Swingman J.R. Smith gives the team a good scorer off the bench. Big men Nene Hilario and Kenyon Martin give Denver scoring and rebounding. Hilario leads the team in steals with 1.52 per game. Center Chris Anderson gives the team athleticism and energy off the bench, and leads the team with 1.81 blocks per game. He leads the team in field goal percentage at 60.2% as well. Rookie Ty Lawson is a lightning quick point guard who may succeed the 33-year-old Billups at point guard eventually.

Anthony has stepped up his game, and has the supporting cast to make many deep playoff runs, and win NBA championships.

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