The Golden State Warriors are widely known for their abundance of talented guards.
Fans often joke that the team seem to be more interested in stockpiling backcourt talent than looking for help at forward or centre.
There is some truth to that, especially with a roster built around Stephen Curry. The Warriors also feature sharpshooters like Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Will Richard, and Seth Curry, who recently joined the club.
Then you add in Brandin Podziemski’s versatility, Gary Payton II’s defensive presence, and the playmaking emergence of Pat Spencer. It is hard to argue that this is not a crowded group of guards
Stephen Curry: De’Anthony Melton’s return is a real boost for the Warriors
Still, Curry sees this as a positive, especially with the return of De’Anthony Melton, whom he has called the ‘prototypical two-way guard’.
After missing significant time through injury, Melton finally got back on the court and immediately showed why he is valued so highly. In just two games back, he has already started to make a difference.
Curry spoke about how smoothly the 27-year-old has slotted into the team since his comeback.
“Just a guy who understands what this level is all about, and he has a way of making the game very simple,” the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ said.
“He’s a good shooter who knocks it down when he’s open. He can put the ball on the floor, play pick-and-roll, create on the backside, and then obviously defensively we know what he’s doing – disrupting the ball.
“It’s just a prototypical NBA two-way guard that can do a little bit of everything. So, you saw it last year, we were kind of hitting strides,” Curry added.
De’Anthony Melton fills a gap the Warriors have struggled to address
Melton has quickly demonstrated the complete guard qualities that Curry highlighted. Despite the limited sample size of only two games, he is already leading the Warriors’ roster with an average of 2.0 steals per game.
He has wasted little time showing why, too. Across his first two appearances, Melton has averaged 11.5 shot contests per game and limited opponents to just 43.5% shooting when guarding them directly – an impressive mark for a 6’2” guard.
On offence, he has been just as steady, hitting double figures in both outings (14 and 13 points) while connecting on over 42% of his three-point attempts in one of those games.
His performance is consistent with his output over the last four seasons, during which he has consistently maintained an average of over 10 points per game and achieved at least 36% accuracy from beyond the arc.
The Golden State Warriors are a team that relies less on size and more on basketball IQ and disruptive defence. So, having a player like Melton is not just about adding another name to an already crowded backcourt – it brings real balance to their roster.
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