With Al Horford limited to around 20 minutes per game and the ongoing uncertainty around the starting lineup, there's increased opportunity for De'Anthony Melton to actually prove himself as the most upside signing for the Golden State Warriors during the offseason.
Melton is yet to play a single minute for the Warriors so far as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered last November, having subsequently signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract to return to the franchise after being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in December.
De'Anthony Melton could still prove Warriors' biggest signing
Horford has had a couple of big performances but otherwise struggled to find a rhythm with Golden State, with that clearly unaided by the fact his minutes are restricted and he's not playing both nights of back-to-backs.
The veteran center is averaging a career-low 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds, having shot just 33.3% from the floor and 31.6% from 3-point range as the Warriors look to integrate the 5x All-Star into their system.
While Melton too will be on a minutes restriction upon his return, there is a growing opportunity for him to play a significant role and actually become a surprisingly more important piece than Horford over the remainder of the season.
With Brandin Podziemski having not taken the leap many expected so far this season, and some underwhelming performances from Jonathan Kuminga following a strong start, rookie guard Will Richard has sensationally been ushered into the starting lineup just 13 games into his career.
As Melton prepares for his return in the coming weeks, the 27-year-old would no doubt have one eye on that starting role that the 56th overall pick is currently occupying. Of course, Melton will simply want to string some appearances together given all his injury troubles, having played just 44 games over the prior two seasons before this one.
Yet it shouldn't be forgotten that Melton was a starter for Golden State when he tore his ACL early last season, having looked like a perfect backcourt teammate for Stephen Curry given his two-way skillset.
Curry has lifted the Warriors to some big wins and an 8-6 record to start the season, but if anything that's only reiterated that the franchise is a piece or two away from legitimate contention. Can Melton be one of those pieces? There's growing anticipation for his return given his upside as a potential starter and 25-minute per game player for Golden State.