De’Anthony Melton steps into the starting lineup and helps the Warriors defeat the Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY – Through 10 games, the Golden State Warriors have already used six players at the shooting guard position: Andrew Wiggins in a jumbo package to start the season; Buddy Hield, Lindy Waters III and Moses Moody in the three games Steph Curry missed; Gary Payton II in some recent matchups; and finally De’Anthony Melton on Sunday night at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Melton opened the Warriors’ 127-116 road win with a pocket bounce pass to Trayce Jackson-Davis for a layup. He hit the first of his five three-pointers later in the first quarter. He had 10 rebounds from the guard position, 19 points, two assists and three steals, sandwiching himself between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams as his primary assignment.

That was 27 minutes from Melton. After the game, Steve Kerr essentially announced that Melton would be the starting shooting guard.

“I like this lineup with Melt,” Kerr said. “I expect to do it again on Tuesday (against the Dallas Mavericks). I think it gives us a really good two-way lineup. They’ve seen what he can do on both ends. … I want the starting group that was out there tonight to be our group for the future.”

Steve Kerr plans to keep De’Anthony Melton as the starting shooting guard and wants the Curry, Melton, Wiggins, Draymond, TJD group to make up the starting lineup going forward

Full explanation pic.twitter.com/6quMQuykve

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 11, 2024

Kerr and the coaching staff discussed Melton as the preferred shooting guard in Hawaii. They signed him because he was considered fit alongside Curry, and they liked the early results when they paired the two together in the preseason opener against the LA Clippers.

But this first month was about lineup experiments. Draymond Green preferred a center next to him to open games, and it became clear that the Warriors wanted Jonathan Kuminga to start the season. That led to a big lineup of Curry, Wiggins, Kuminga, Green and Jackson-Davis, an experiment that only lasted three games.

Melton probably would have slid into that starting spot sooner, but his back straightened. Melton was only able to play in 38 games for the Philadelphia 76ers last season because he had a serious back problem that wouldn’t go away. Due to his uncertain health, he was available for the mid-major exemption this summer. He said he chose the Warriors in part because Rick Celebrini has recently guided players like Green and Otto Porter Jr. to productive seasons through back injuries.

Celebrini kept a close eye on Melton during this trip, putting him through some individual and eventually group training sessions to test his inflamed lumbar spine before finally clearing him for the Cleveland Cavaliers game. He was solid against the Cavs, managing enough to get the green light for the starting shooting guard spot and 27 minutes against the Thunder.

“We played Memphis in the playoffs (in 2022) and he was part of their seven-, eight-man rotation because he can defend and block open shots,” Curry said. “Confident. Makes the right play. Sound guy who knows how to play. I just hope he’s healthy and can be available. He’s worked tirelessly on that. Tonight that role showed, a two-way player and another guy who can handle the ball a little bit, which helps.”

In the first quarter, Wiggins shot through Chet Holmgren on a drive attempt, knocking Holmgren horizontally to the ground in a hard impact. Holmgren injured his hip and missed the rest of the game, leaving the Thunder without an available center. Because of this, Kerr changed his rotation and didn’t play Jackson-Davis or Kevon Looney the rest of the night.

“Last year, Steph and Steve were talking about lineups and we just ran out of options for lineups to go to,” Green said. “This year it’s the exact opposite.”

Kerr started the second half with Payton in place of Jackson-Davis, leaving Melton as the starter and Kuminga as the backup. It’s clear that Kerr wants him to be comfortable as the high-pressure leader of the second unit. Kuminga was one of their only bright spots in Cleveland with 21 points and backed that up with 20 points in 26 minutes against the Thunder, tirelessly combating the lack of rim protection in a productive first half. Kuminga is averaging 17.4 points on 51.7 percent shooting in his seven straight games as a reserve player.

“I think JK showed how important he is off the bench,” Kerr said. “Twenty points tonight, some great plays. He seems to fit this role really well.”

The victory capped a winding but ultimately impressive 4-1 loss for the Warriors. In the opening game against the Houston Rockets, they lost a 31-point lead, but stabilized and survived overtime. They took care of a bad Washington Wizards team, took on the Boston Celtics, suffered a disastrous loss in Cleveland, and responded with a double-digit win in Oklahoma City, erasing another nearly 30-point lead.

Holmgren’s undisclosed injury status plunges the Thunder, who are the Western Conference regular-season favorites, into potential turmoil in November. The Phoenix Suns will miss Kevin Durant for at least two weeks and lost to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

The Warriors are tied at the top of the conference with Phoenix and Oklahoma City with an 8-2 record. They return home for two tests this week, starting with the Mavericks and Klay Thompson on Tuesday night.

What will Klay Thompson’s return look like on Tuesday?

Steph Curry: “I don’t know. We’ve had people come back, but nothing like this.” pic.twitter.com/NT34K1kKyg

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 11, 2024

(Photo: Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images)