The Golden State Warriors announced the re-signing of De'Anthony Melton in free agency on Saturday, choosing to give the veteran guard the taxpayer mid-level exception over other targets like Anfernee Simons.
Part of the reasoning stems from Melton's fit and effectiveness playing alongside the star duo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, but that actually requires them to be healthy in order for Steve Kerr to form positive lineups.
Stephen Curry faces even more pressure with De'Anthony Melton signing
Butler's knee injury and Golden State's inability to acquire another star this offseason already places increased pressure on Curry come opening night, but Melton's return heaps even more on considering the stark contrast in his impact depending on whether Curry and/or Butler are available.
Melton and Curry shared a +12.1 net rating in their 231 minutes together on the floor last season. Those numbers, and the brief but impressive minutes they played together before Melton's torn ACL the previous season, makes for an argument that he should be starting over Brandin Podziemski.
Melton also shared an incredible 22.7 net rating in his 220 minutes with Butler before the latter's own torn ACL. The Warriors had a 12-4 record prior to Butler's injury, largely because the combination of he, Melton, Podziemski and Al Horford were powering non-Curry lineups in a way we've rarely seen over recent years.
The 28-year-old is a perfect fit when he can play off the stardom of Curry and/or Butler, allowing him to focus more on defense, on catch-and-shoot threes, and on being a secondary ball-handler rather than a primary facilitator.
Warriors don't want De'Anthony Melton in similar role to late last season
The numbers prove that Golden State can't afford to have Curry out of the lineup, and that Melton's effectiveness sharply falls off a cliff once you subtract he and Butler. In the 27-straight games where both stars were sidelined late last season, Melton showed very little ability to step up efficiently into an increased role in a way that the likes of Podziemski and Gui Santos took advantage of.
Melton, who was playing through his own minor injury, did averaged 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists in those 27 games, yet he shot a paltry 38.4% shooting from the floor and 26.7% from 3-point range while also averaging 2.2 turnovers.
The Warriors can't afford to have Curry on the sidelines full stop, but Melton, in particular, may feel the impact of his (and Butler's) absence more than any other player on the roster. There's not just pressure on Curry to play well, but actually be available on a consistent basis.
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