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Is Carmelo Anthony The Best One And Done Of All Time?

The former Syracuse star had a stellar collegiate season with the Orange.

With Carmelo Anthony’s announced retirement on Monday, the discussion regarding the greatest one and done player in college basketball history has started once again. In fact, CBS Sports put out a list of the top 10 such players. They listed Carmelo Anthony third, behind Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. I think that was a mistake. And let’s be clear: whoever your preference is, is not a slight to the others. Putting Davis over Anthony does not mean you think poorly of Anthony. And vice versa. Stating I believe Zion Williamson should not be top two is also not a slight to him. All three had stellar seasons. Here are my thoughts on the topic.

First, Anthony, at a minimum, should be top two. I would have him number one, but there is a strong argument for Davis. Davis was one of the best defensive players in college basketball history (averaged nearly five blocks per game), was the National Player of the Year, led his team to a championship, was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and averaged a double-double. He did all of this while shooting over 62% from the floor. Simply put, Davis was about as dominant as dominant can get at the collegiate level. Zion Williamson, however, should not be top two as his resume is below the other two in my opinion (you can compare stats for all three in the table below).

PlayerPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGFG%3PT%FT%

Carmelo Anthony

22.2

10.0

2.2

1.6

0.9

45.3%

33.7%

70.6%

Anthony Davis

14.2

10.4

1.3

1.4

4.7

62.3%

15.0%

70.9%

Zion Williamson

22.6

8.9

2.1

2.1

1.8

68.0%

33.8%

64.0%

Williamson was a hype machine, averaged over 22 points per game, shot 68% from the floor, was a consensus All-American and the National Player of the Year. Like Davis’ Kentucky team, Duke was top five all season, spent most of the year ranked number one and was the top team entering the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils lost in the Elite Eight. Despite six future NBA players as teammates, Zion’s Duke team still did not make the Final Four. In two of his four NCAA Tournament games, Williamson had two of his worst shooting performances and two of his lowest rebounding totals of the season. That combined with an exit in the Elite Eight has him behind Davis and Anthony, in my opinion. 

In the discussion between Davis and Anthony, I still go with Anthony for a few reasons. First, Davis had a team with six other NBA players on it. Anthony had one (Hakim Warrick). Second, Davis was on a Kentucky team that was ranked second in the preseason, was in the top five all year, and spent most of the year as the top ranked team in the country. Syracuse was unranked in the preseason with no expectations, but Anthony elevated them to championship level. I do think the team around you plays a part in this analysis. Third, Kentucky did not play another one seed in its tournament run, facing a three seed to make the Final Four, a four seed in the semifinal and a two seed in the title game. Syracuse beat two one seeds and a two seed on its way to the championship.

Let’s not ignore a feather in Davis’ cap in this analysis. He was the National Player of the Year. Anthony was not. However, there is context to that. When Anthony was a freshman, freshmen were essentially not considered for that award. It is in part because of Anthony’s season that it started to become a more realistic possibility. He changed the perception of what freshmen can be in the college basketball landscape, paving the way for players like Davis and Williamson to win such awards. If Anthony’s season had happened in the same era as Davis or Williamson, he wins the award, no disrespect to a deserving TJ Ford who won the award in 2003.

Anthony averaged a double-double at 22 points and 10 rebounds per game, but was also an underrated passer. He had seven assists in the National Championship game, playing through a bad back to lead his team to the title. He was also a consensus All-American, National Freshman of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. Like Davis, he was flat out dominant during his one collegiate season. But his elevation of a team with no expectations to the top of the sport is the deciding factor for me.

Listen, at the end of the day, the discussion between Davis and Anthony, in my opinion, is splitting hairs. If I am going to split them, I am going with the one who carried his team more and elevated them from no expectations to National Champions. Postseason performance absolutely matters when evaluating one and dones, which is where Williamson, and others, falls short.

Who do you have as the best one and done of all time? Login to our message board and join the discussion in the link below.

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