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Carmelo on possibly coming off bench with Rockets: 'Let's just play it out'

Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Carmelo Anthony has always stuck to his convictions of remaining an NBA starter, despite a large sector of basketball experts viewing him as more of a reserve at this stage of his career.

Now a member of the Houston Rockets after officially signing a one-year contract, Anthony is willing to at least give it some time before dismissing the notion of coming off the bench.

"Let's just play it out, though. I don't even know what's going on. I just signed," Anthony told TMZ Sports. "Let it start first."

Related: Carmelo holds longest active streak of not coming off the bench

The Rockets are coming off a franchise-best 65-win campaign in 2017-18 which ended one victory short of an NBA Finals berth.

While acquiring Anthony for the veteran minimum is a solid coup for Houston, they did see two key wing contributors in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute walk in free agency - a major blow to their top-six defense. Their departures do free up an opening at the three spot for Anthony to fill, although James Ennis could also be slotted in alongside James Harden and Chris Paul, as Ennis is a stronger and more versatile defender.

The 34-year-old Anthony has averaged 24.1 points on nearly 45 percent shooting from the field in his career. His lone season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, however, saw him contribute fewer than 20 points per game (16.2) for the first time while finishing with a career-worst 50.3 true shooting percentage.

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