It may have taken till the 10th game of the season, but the Golden State Warriors might have finally found the starting lineup they can persist with over the foreseeable future.
In what was the seventh different starting lineup seen through the first 10 games, head coach Steve Kerr went to De'Anthony Melton alongside Stephen Curry in the back-court, with Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis remaining in the front-court for Sunday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Warriors may have found an effective two-way starting five
The starting lineup saw little time together against the Thunder, with Chet Holmgren's injury in the first five minutes allowing Kerr to go small. Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney didn't play at all from there on out as 36 points from Stephen Curry led an impressive 127-116 Golden State victory.
While there's more to be explored about the new starting lineup, it was a hugely positive start from Melton as Curry's back-court sidekick. Speaking after the game, Kerr detailed that his defensive ambitions means this will remain the opening five for the time being.
"I would like for that starting group that was out there tonight, I would like for that group to be our group going forward," Kerr said. "We're looking for really good defense to start the game and that lineup gives us two on-ball defenders with Wiggs and Melt, and then two bigs with Draymond and Trayce."
Steve Kerr plans to keep De’Anthony Melton as the starting shooting guard and wants that Curry, Melton, Wiggins, Draymond, TJD group to be the starting lineup moving forward
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 11, 2024
Full explanation pic.twitter.com/6quMQuykve
Melton had always been a rather obvious starter next to Curry in theory, yet injury meant it wasn't possible until now. The 26-year-old missed five games due to a back injury, only returning in Friday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite the absence, Melton hardly missed a beat in nearly 27 minutes against the Thunder. The former 76ers guard had his first double-double in a Warrior jersey with 19 points and 10 rebounds, having shot 5-of-8 from three-point range while also adding two assists and three steals in the 11-point win.
As Kerr alluded to in his press conference, Melton provides the Warriors with the best combination of offense and defense in the starting lineup. He's shot 36% and 39% from beyond the arc in each of the past two seasons, giving Golden State another legitimate shooting threat alongside Curry and Andrew Wiggins.
The Warriors have seldom had a stable starting lineup dating back to the start of last season, so the idea of this being a group Kerr will persist with should bring some relief to fans. It does controversially leave Jonathan Kuminga in a bench role, but the young forward is thriving so far despite the obvious long-term questions.
Regardless of the previous starting lineup uncertainty, the Warriors have moved to a bright 8-2 start to the season ahead of Tuesday's matchup with Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center.