How Warriors’ De’Anthony Melton hopes to channel former Splash Brother
SAN FRANCISCO – De’Anthony Melton knows that every backcourt partner of Steph Curry will, fairly or not, be compared to the Golden State standard set by Klay Thompson.
The five-time All-Star was the starting shooting guard next to Curry for all four of the team’s modern-day titles, providing defense and the perfect off-ball complement to Curry’s dynamism.
Melton, who is rounding into form after missing an entire year rehabbing from left ACL surgery, had plenty of time to study Thompson as he rehabbed. Now back on the court and beginning to flash the all-around game that made him coveted around the league, Melton said there is plenty he can glean from Thompson’s game.
“I can learn from, you know, how well they played together, what made Steph (Curry) great, what made Klay (Thompson) great,” Melton said.
The 27-year-old will never be considered in the same tier as Thompson as a shooter, but Melton sure did his best facsimile in the Warriors’ victory Wednesday night over the Bucks.
Melton made a season-high five 3-pointers, scoring 22 points. It was the second-most points by a Warriors reserve this season, trailing only Moses Moody’s 24 on Nov. 4 against Phoenix.
Melton has shot 9 of 18 from behind the arc in his last three games.
But, like Thompson, it was not just his shooting that made the off guard so valuable. Although Melton stands at 6-foot-2, his 6-foot-8 wingspan allows him to play and guard larger than his listed size.
As the team’s top point-of-attack defender, Melton can take the opponent’s toughest perimeter matchup, freeing up Curry to focus more on offense. It is a role Thompson thrived in for over a decade in the Bay Area.
“I can keep him away from certain matchups to preserve his energy,” Melton said. “That’s the most important thing.”
Melton is still restricted to about 25 minutes a night off the bench, and has not played back-to-backs as team doctor Rick Celebrini remains cautious and patient with Melton’s ramp-up to starter minutes.
But even though a starting spot might be a while away, Kerr is already thrilled with what he has seen from Melton so far.
“I can have him handle the ball and play off the ball,” Kerr said. “You see the shooting is coming around, and it’s fun to see him really find his groove after missing most of the last two years.”
Light practice day
With Thursday’s practice sandwiched between games, Kerr made sure his team did not go through overly taxing drills.
“It was a walkthrough day, mostly rest,” Kerr said. “A little bit of prep for Sacramento tomorrow, and some of the things they do and then watching film from last night for things we want to clean up.”
Kerr said that even though the Warriors scored 120 points against Milwaukee, he did not like the team’s “offensive execution.”
However, he praised his team’s low turnover number (10), the second straight game Golden State has done a good job of taking care of the ball.