A player shooting 27.1% from the floor and 12.5% from 3-point range doesn't generally deserve more minutes in an NBA rotation, particularly when its part of a Golden State Warriors team that has alternative options at their disposal.
Yet that's just what happened to De'Anthony Melton on Christmas Day against the Dallas Mavericks, with the Warriors instantly vindicated for giving the 27-year-old a season-high 24 minutes in the 126-116 victory at Chase Center.
Warriors vindicated for huge show of faith in De'Anthony Melton
Melton's shooting struggles certainly didn't disappear on Thursday, but he got better as the game wore on and ultimately played a major role in Golden State recording their third-straight win which has pushed them back above .500 on the season.
Melton shot just 5-of-14 from the floor but eventually broke a streak of over 15 missed 3-pointers in a row, nailing a corner triple in the first-quarter and driving the dagger into the Mavericks late with one more from the top of the arc.
He still shot just 2-of-7 from beyond the arc and missed a number of shots at the rim, but still finished as the team's second-leading scorer with 16 points while also recording a game-high +19 to go with three rebounds and three assists.
Melton's most notable play outside the late three may have come at the end of the third quarter, having missed a 3-pointer only to quickly nab a steal and finish through the foul from Mavericks center Daniel Gafford.
The versatility of the 6'2" guard continues to be on display, allowing him to impact the game in a multitude of ways as has proven the case with Brandin Podziemski when he's playing at his best. The third-year guard shot only 1-of-5 from distance on Christmas, but still delivered impact with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists in nearly 29 minutes off the bench.
Together, Melton and Podziemski provide Steve Kerr and the Warriors with a fairly clear cut guard combination off the bench, with that coming at the expense of Buddy Hield who has now been out of the main rotation for three-straight games.
Melton's upside was always worth persisting in as he returns from a 13-month absence from an ACL injury. The Warriors yielded some results from that show of faith against the Mavericks, with hopefully more vindication to come as Melton improves his shooting percentages and draws closer to his best as the season progresses.