The NBA and its fans have always celebrated stars, but role players are often the ones who determine how far superstars and their teams can actually go. Among the most valuable of role players, especially in the league today, are the sharpshooters.

Their role sounds simple on paper — hit open shots — but in reality, it depends heavily on who creates the opportunities. And for Steve Novak, during his time with the New York Knicks, the superstar was Carmelo Anthony, who drew defenses around him every game, allowing role players like him to thrive.

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Dependent on each other

Novak was one of the league’s most dangerous shooters in the 2010s, capable of swinging momentum with a timely 3-pointer, especially under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden. His clutch shooting made him a fan favorite in New York, but on the “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Novak told Anthony that none of it would have been possible without him.

“I was open because of Melo. And just think it’s this crazy dynamic where I feel like throughout your career, you always need great teammates. You need guys to be better,” Novak said.

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“I just don’t think people understand like that shift that happens where the weight that you had every game,” he continued. “I don’t think people understand like you were responsible for me, Landry Fields, Jared Jeffries, and there’s not a lot of people that can carry that weight.”

At his peak, Anthony was a dangerous isolation scorer who would always attract double teams in the post or collapse defenses as he drove through the paint. It was what made him a lethal scorer, but it also opened the floor for shooters like Novak, who were ready when defenses made the wrong choice.

“I need Melo. It’s like you think you needed for so long, guys to help you become the superstar and to look for you,” Novak shared. “I needed Melo in order to be good. And so like the responsibility of the superstars I play with, like the Giannises, the Melos, the KDs. the Dirks, the Timmy Duncans.”

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Aside from Anthony, Novak also had the privilege of playing with multiple superstars during his journeyman career, from Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas to even Giannis Antetokounmpo in the last years of his career at Milwaukee. He had a front-row seat to how much pressure superstars absorb in every game and how much they help role players get to their spots and contribute to the team.

Novak and Melo’s Knicks legacies

Novak’s sentiment highlights something that has long been true in the league: great role players blossom when they earn the trust of stars. It’s evident throughout history, such as when Steve Kerr and John Paxson delivered game-winning shots for Michael Jordan, or when Robert Horry hit iconic game-winning shots because everyone was too focused on his superstar teammates.

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It was the same with Novak and Anthony on a smaller scale. Both trusted one another, so that when double teams came for Anthony, the 6’10 sharpshooter was always open, ready to take the shot.

There is a long lineage of sharpshooting role players who have always captured the love, or even ire, of fanbases across the league. Novak is one of them, and he says it only worked because a superstar like Anthony took on the team’s weight first.

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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.