De'Anthony Melton made an excellent return from injury against the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the month, but his form over the past four games has been nothing short of a painful problem for the Golden State Warriors.
After scoring 27 combined points against the 76ers and Chicago Bulls, Melton's production has fallen off a cliff and now requires a level of patience that's difficult to maintain when the Warriors sit below .500 on the season.
Warriors must remain patient with De'Anthony Melton
Melton has averaged only 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 17.4 minutes over the last four games -- three of which resulted in losses. If those numbers are underwhelming, his shooting percentages -- 13.6% from the floor and 0-of-13 from 3-point range -- are simply disastrous.
This shouldn't be a total surprise though. For as good as Melton was over his first two games, it's not easy to come back and consistently play well following a 12-month absence from one of the worst injuries an athlete can possibly suffer.
The bigger issue is that the Warriors haven't given Melton the wiggle room to work his way back up to speed. If they were 17-12 right now -- which they could have easily been given the nature of some of their close and disastrous losses -- then there wouldn't necessarily be the same level of urgency.
Instead, at 14-15 and eighth in the Western Conference, Golden State need everyone playing well to build some momentum as a team and get back on track. So, where does that leave Melton amid his poor recent form?
The answer is that as much as the Warriors can't afford the 27-year-old to continue playing at this unsatisfactory level, his upside and potential importance in the long run means it's worth persisting with him in a consistent 18-20 minute per game role.
Golden State do have a glut of guards that Kerr can use, but none of them have the same level of two-way ability that Melton can provide when he's up and running. Combine that with the fact that some of the alternative options could find themselves in a trade before the February 5 deadline, and it's well worth maintaining trust in Melton in the hope that it pays significant dividends when it really matters later in the season.
In the short-term, the Warriors just have to hope that Melton can improve and particularly with his shooting numbers as the team sits 21st in offensive rating through the first third of the season.