Source: Live broadcast
Translator Note: The original text was published on NBC, and the data in the text dates from the date when the original text was published (September 28 local time), and the date and time involved are local time.
The long-awaited return of the Warriors has basically been settled, according to ESPN reporter Shams Charania quoted sources on Sunday evening as saying he has pledged to sign a contract with the Warriors before the start of the 2025-26 season.
When the free agent market opened last year, the Warriors signed a one-year contract with Melton worth $12.8 million through a middle-class special case. His hidden dangers of injuries appeared early, but his perfect fit with the team is equally obvious.
The veteran guard came off the bench in the first three regular-season games of the 2024-25 season before missing the Warriors' next five games with similar back issues that led to him playing just 38 games with the Sixers the previous season. His healthy return immediately showed the impact he can make to the Warriors. In the first game of his return, Melton scored 10 points and 3 assists in a fiasco against the Cavaliers, prompting head coach Steve Cole to put him on the starting line.
The second game was unusual. It was a tough match for the general champions after defeating the field with 11 points of advantage. At the time, Melton got 19 points, of which three points 8 in 5 and contributed 10 basketball boards, 2 assists and 3 robberies. Then the Warriors welcomed Clay-Tompson with a big win in the home field, but Melton stopped with this injury, which was unexpected at the time.
Stephen-Curry and Thompson were undoubtedly the main characters of the night’s Aquarius Brothers. Curry was the performer, and he scored 12 points in the final moments of the game, leaving his former teammates to swallow a defeat on the pitch. Melton was an unnamed hero, and he showed himself why he could be the new ideal partner around Curry.
Before Curry began his scoring frenzy, Melton showed his comprehensiveness in offense and defense. He first leaned over and spelled a floorball, then made a crucial three-pointer to narrow the difference to four points, with less than four minutes left in the game.
In the sixth game of the season, he ended with a +12 positive negative, contributing 14 points, 4 basketball boards, 4 assists and 1 robbery. But Melton was injured in the final phase of that victory and was later confirmed as the former cross-band (ACL) cracked, leading to the season's reimbursement. The Warriors then used his deal to get Dennis-Schroeder, but the team never really filled the gap he left.
Melton’s reboot of the Warriors will delight many in the team, especially Curry.This also brings up the same question as when he joined the Warriors last year: Who will debut in the back with Stephen’s partner?
The options are the same as last season. Cole will choose between Melton, Blanding Podjemski and Buddy Heard. Everyone has their own characteristics. Melton is undoubtedly the best outside single-defense player among the three, Podjemski is a tandem player who really grew up after the Warriors traded Jimmy Butler, and Hilde is one of the most threatening shooters outside the three-point line in the league.
Despite the extremely small sample size, Melton, with his defensive toughness and underrated offense, is exactly what the Warriors need around Curry. The two played together for 47 minutes, with a net win of 39 points, an offensive efficiency of 136.5, a defensive efficiency of 98.1 and a net efficiency of 38.4. Curry had a net efficiency of 10.4 (offensive efficiency of 120.0 and defensive efficiency of 109.5) in the 652 minutes he played with Pojemsky in the regular season, while in the 969 minutes he played with Heard in the regular season, the net efficiency was 9.0 (offensive efficiency of 119.3 and defensive efficiency of 110.3).
“That’s really a perfect combination.Melton did everything, holding the ball, the basketball, the three-point, the organization,” Cole said in mid-November, “he’s very fit, and that’s why we first signed him.”
Could Melton take on a lot of appearance and debut roles immediately after undergoing ACL surgery and previous back injury? probably not.
If so, Shield would be a scary shooter on the replacement seat, and Melton would also play a more comprehensive role as a replacement in the state of having the ball and without the ball. More likely is that the three players would have a debut opportunity throughout the season depending on their health and counterparts, and in any case, the end of the game is always more important. The Warriors used 38 different sets of starting lines in the 2024-25 regular season, 11 sets more than the previous year.
Even not at the start of the game, getting Curry and Melton to play together must have been Cole’s top priority when facing the strongholds.
The introduction of Melton is not just about the games in October, November and December. This is for the sprint phase of the regular games, as well as a promising blow to shock post-season seats and compete for the championship. This is a worthy bet in terms of the amount of his contract, but it is still a bet for an aging team that needs to stay healthy.
By Dalton Johnson
Translated by: Gwayne