Carmelo Anthony won't improve the Thunder, according to 'NBA 2K18'

Written By Bryan Wiedey
NBA 2K18 Carmelo Anthony Oklahoma City Thunder
2K Sports

The West keeps on getting stronger at the expense of the East in the NBA, with Carmelo Anthony as the latest All-Star to move with the trade over the weekend from the Knicks to the Thunder.

Anthony ranks as the 42nd-best player in the NBA, according to the recently released "NBA 2K18," which has given him an 84 Overall. He's the No. 7 player at the small forward position. Along with Russell Westbrook (94 Overall) and Paul George (91 Overall), the Thunder now have the third-strongest trio of players in the league.

In order to get a sense of what Anthony will mean for Oklahoma City's fortunes, full season simulations were run both pre-and-post trade in "NBA 2K18." Twenty season sims were completed to account for any anomalies that may have risen and to create the clearest picture possible of the impact on the team.

REVIEW: "NBA 2K18" shines with improved gameplay and new features

"NBA 2K18" makes it evident that the Thunder are no closer to being a championship contender now with Anthony. Oklahoma City was unable to get any further than the second round in any of the simulations. More surprising than that is their regular-season record and playoff performance were practically the same with Anthony as it was without.

The video game predicts the Thunder will go 50-32, and that'll be good enough to get them either the No. 4 or 5 seed in the Western Conference. About half the time they get bounced in the first round, and the rest they fall in the second round. "NBA 2K18" gives them no shot in a series against the likes of the Warriors or Rockets.

2K Sports

How would OKC have done with Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott instead? That team averaged out to a 49-33 season and the No. 5 seed, though on a few occasions they did miss the playoffs completely, as any injury to either Russell Westbrook or Paul George would doom them. That roster was unable to make it any further than the second round as well.

The conclusion from the simulation engine in "NBA 2K18" is that Anthony is worth just a single regular-season win for the Thunder.

Statistically, the addition of Anthony means that he, Westbrook and George all sacrifice a few points a game. "NBA 2K18" sees Westbrook getting 24.2 points along with 10.4 rebounds and 8.5 assists this season. That's compared to 26.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 9.7 assists he had prior to the trade. George and Anthony will average 24.7 and 19.9 points, respectively, while they would have put up 27.7 and 21.8 otherwise.

The presence of Anthony will also prevent Westbrook from winning back-to-back MVPs. Stephen Curry and James Harden split the award nearly evenly with the current rosters in place, while Westbrook won the most times prior to the acquisition of Anthony.
