The scoring is at a career low - 2o.8 PPG.

So is the shooting percentage - 40.3%.

But believe it or not, Carmelo Anthony could be having the best season of his career.

How?  Melo has finally accepted that to be a truly great player in the NBA, he has to affect the game with more than just his scoring.  And there is still no doubt that he can score.

After spending a summer as a complementary player on the Gold Medal winning Olympic team, Melo has embraced doing more to impact the Nuggets wins and losses.

His per-game average 8.6 rebounds is a career high; so are his 4.2 assists.

The biggest difference, though, can’t be measured with statistics.  His commitment to playing defense and becoming the vocal leader on the team are measured in how much better he makes his other teammates.

Attitude - positive or negative - is infectious.  And it starts with the team’s leader.

The results are already showing. Despite Melo’s scoring troubles, the Nuggets are 10-6 and sit just a half game back of first place in the Midwest Division.

Maybe more impressive is the fact that they’re holding opponents to 98 points per game - the first time they’ve yielded fewer than 100 per game since 2005 - and down 9 points from last year’s embarrassing 107.

Melo’s scoring and shooting will likely return to career norms as the year progresses.  But even on the off chance they don’t, the Nuggets are getting a better Carmelo Anthony this year than they’ve ever gotten before.