SAN FRANCISCO – De’Anthony Melton nodded his head as he thought back to the autumn of 2024. The combo guard had just signed with the Warriors and was in line to take the unenviable position of filling Klay Thompson’s spot as Steph Curry’s long-term backcourt partner.
Melton’s season ended after just six games with a torn ACL, but that was enough time to understand the pressure that came with the position.
“The lingering effect of him? Yeah, they definitely had a great run,” Melton said Wednesday of Thompson’s impact, before adding, “But by the time I was getting here, it was kind of toward the end of it.”
Over two years have passed, and Thompson is now set to return to the Bay Area as a member of the Miami Heat following two lackluster years in Dallas. With the original Splash Bro set to return to town on Thursday, his replacement has been doing a fine impression in one key area.
While Melton is not in Thompson’s league as a pure shooter – who is outside of Curry? – he has been among the league’s top marksmen early on this season.
Through eight games, he is shooting 46% from behind the arc on 5.1 attempts per game, a dramatic increase from the 29.4% he shot last season. Much of last season’s dip can be attributed to injured thumbs, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr said general wear and tear hindered Melton, 28, as the season went on.
His shot quality has been high. With the Warriors slammed by injuries last season, Melton had a larger role on-ball and attempted 2.2 pull-up jumpers per game, according to NBA tracking data. That number has been slashed to just 1.3 per game so far this season.
Almost all of 41 Melton’s attempts from 3 have been off the catch, with just nine coming after at least one dribble. Those catch-and-shoot 3-pointers have skewed in a similar ratio toward being open, which the NBA quantifies as any shot where the defender is at least 4 feet away upon the shot being released.
Even if his numbers dip, it appears clear that last season’s brickfest was just an aberration for the career 36% 3-point shooter.
“I had to really just slow down and understand my shot and understand what works for me,” Melton said after making two late 3-pointers against the Clippers on Sunday. “Sometimes I feel like I was rushing my jumper just to get it up. But now, I feel like I’m just being calm and shooting it, and whatever happens, happens.”
Thompson’s jumper is in peak form, too, making 42.5% of his attempts from long range through eight games with the Heat.
The 36-year-old pure shooter made the game-winning 3-pointer against the Clippers in Inglewood on Wednesday, giving him 30 points on the night and three consecutive games of at least 19 points.
Melton has not approached those kinds of gaudy numbers, but he has returned to being a dependable night-to-night contributor. He played 49 games last season after a year of rehab, but was unable to play in most back-to-backs and had a minutes limit.
He re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year deal, the second being a player option, and to full health.
This season, the guardrails on his minutes and overall games played have been removed. He has played in all eight games, and his bounce has returned, as shown via an impressive block against the Clippers where he skied for a swat on Cam Christie.
Melton has also drawn tough defensive assignments as one of the Warriors’ few athletic guards, and has brought energy and shotmaking to the bench unit.
He might not go into the Hall of Fame, as his predecessor will, but Melton is having a phenomenal bounce-back season.
“Everybody’s got their own journey in life,” Melton said when asked about comparisons between himself and Thompson. “Me and Klay are different.”