De'Anthony Melton had an underwhelming finish to last season where his ball-handling and shooting both lacked efficiency, but the veteran guard does deserve a legitimate pass after revealing the extent of his injury concerns.
Melton has revealed to The San Fransisco Standard's Danny Emerman that his thumbs were causing him havoc late last season, with both requiring surgery as he now looks to bounceback in what is another contract year for the 28-year-old.
De'Anthony Melton deserves pass for disappointing late season form
Melton's points, rebounds and assists did rise after the All-Star break, but his shooting fell to 38.9% from the floor and 29.2% from 3-point range as Golden State limped into the postseason before being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In Tournament.
Most athletes play through injury particularly late in a season, yet Melton arguably deserves more leeway than most considering his thumb issues also coincided with an increased role that his skillset simply isn't accustomed to.
Melton had little choice but to play through his various injuries given the Warriors were in such a dire spot from an availibility standpoint, having lost six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to a torn ACL while franchise superstar Stephen Curry missed 27-straight games with a knee injury.
The silver lining for the Warriors is that the late-season form may have impacted Melton's free agency value, with the eight-year veteran returning to the franchise on a two-year, $12.4 million contract that again includes a second-year player option.
Warriors could have a major steal with De'Anthony Melton
If we park Melton's late season form and reflect back to his early return from the torn ACL in December last year, there's little doubt he was one of the most impactful pieces on the team as the Warriors gathered some momentum prior to Butler's injury.
Melton now gets the chance to be that highly impactful role player again on a very team-friendly contract, not just because he himself is healthy but because Curry's return should allow him to slide back into a lesser role that actually suits him.
Whether he remains in a starting role or comes off the bench remains to be seen. Head coach Steve Kerr has confirmed that three starting spots outside Curry and Draymond Green are up for grabs, with Melton presumably battling young guard Brandin Podziemski for a role alongside the two-time MVP in the backcourt.
One thing is for sure -- the Warriors should get a more consistent, better version of Melton than the one we saw at the end of last season.
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