After pushing the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals a season ago, the Houston Rockets retooled their roster by adding Carmelo Anthony into the mix. Anthony has been one of the league’s premier offensive talents during his career, but he is coming off of a disappointing year in Oklahoma City.

He will likely play a reduced role on this loaded Houston team that features two of the best guards in the league in James Harden and Chris Paul, who will be the focal points of the offense. But the Truth still thinks Carmelo could still provide a boost in crucial situations to a team looking to surpass the Warriors.

“He’s going to play a different role,” Pierce said. “I can’t see him playing a lot of (isolation basketball) that he played in OKC. He could play a role similar to the one I played (with the) Washington Wizards a few years back. He’s not going to put up big numbers, but he’s a guy that you can go to down the stretch. He’s a guy that you can put in the corner that can make open shots.”