Golden State Warriors starting shooting guard De’Anthony Melton is done for the season. Per Yahoo Sports’ Ryan Young, Melton is set to undergo surgery on his sprained left ACL. The 26-year-old also has a partial tear in the ACL, per Janie McCauley of The Associated Press (via NBA.com).
Melton earned the Warriors’ permanent starting SG spot
News of Melton’s season-ending ailment serves as a crushing blow to the Warriors. The California native was inserted into Golden State’s fluctuating starting lineup for their matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 10. He made a great first impression with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals on 5-8 shooting from the three-point line.
The USC product followed that up with 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists before going down with his infirmity. His impactful play instilled confidence in Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Searching for a viable full-time starter at the two, coach Kerr declared after the OKC game that Melton rounded out what he aimed to be their fixed starting lineup including Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
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Warriors will rely on their deep backcourt to pick up the pieces
With Melton now sidelined until the 2025-26 campaign, the Warriors will look elsewhere for backcourt support. Lindy Waters and Moses Moody are two leading candidates to land the starting two-guard role. Coach Kerr has a burgeoning Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Buddy Hield dominating off of his bench and a young talent in Brandin Podziemski who he’s favored utilizing in the second unit.
Melton will look to build off of the 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals he averaged on 37.1 percent shooting from outside next season upon his return. He is set to become a free agent come season’s end after signing a one-year, $12.8 million deal with the franchise last offseason. His Warriors teammates are hoping he’ll return to the ball club next time around.
