Why Melton’s addition is good for the Warriors after Klay’s recovery Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
With Klay Thompson moves to another teamThe Warriors knew they had to replace much of what he had brought to the table. Or, more precisely, what made him the near-perfect teammate for Stephen Curry.
Golden State’s priority was to add a point-attack defender capable of filling one of the roles Thompson filled before he suffered a torn ACL in one leg and a torn Achilles tendon in the other.
Thompson’s defense at its best gave Curry the freedom that allowed him to win back-to-back MVP awards. The Warriors want, need, to get that back.
Get into Free agent guard De’Anthony MeltonHe’s not a flashy player and he won’t be as good as Klay, but his defense is elite. That makes him worth paying the $12.9 million mid-level exception that both sides agreed to Monday.
Melton, 26, is that rare young player who is effective but has remained mostly under the radar, in part because he has played for three different teams.
The Warriors, like the rest of the NBA and those who live and breathe it, recognize his value as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
Melton is, like former Golden State star Andre Iguodala, one of those guys who rarely produces a dazzling stat line but often makes game-winning plays. In his six-year career, he has shot 36.9 percent from three-point range. He is also a fantastic defender, on or off the ball, who gets steals, grabs rebounds and racks up more “hockey” assists than official assists.
At 6-foot-2 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Melton’s physical dimensions roughly match those of Gary Payton II, whom the Warriors adore but who has battled injuries in each of the past two seasons.
Melton has also had to deal with injuries, most recently back problems that limited him to 38 games (33 starts) with the Philadelphia 76ers last season.
Before exiting the lineup last season, Melton was part of a Philadelphia starting lineup — alongside Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Nic Batum and Tyrese Maxey — that posted the best net rating (plus-34.0) in the NBA.
The 76ers went 21-9 with Melton in the lineup before his back injury benched him. They went 26-26 over their final 52 games, most of which were missed by Embiid and Melton.
Melton shined as a sixth man on the 2021-22 Memphis Grizzlies team that finished second in the Western Conference. He averaged 10.8 points per game (40.4 on field goals, but 37.4 on 3-pointers), with 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals.
The key with Melton is his health. Had he stayed healthy last season, he could have commanded an annual salary north of $20 million.
Even though the Warriors are no longer paying the luxury tax and are still building their roster, Melton projects as someone who could be in the starting lineup.