Before the Hawks vs. Warriors game, new De’Anthony Melton injury news dropped, and it is not good for Warriors fans. The starting shooting guard will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his left ACL. This is a huge blow to the Warriors as they had recently just announced he would be the team’s starting shooting guard moving forward. Now, head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors will need to decide how to fill the void left by Melton’s injury.
Warriors Guard Has Season-Ending Injury, Puts Pressure on Youth
Melton Injury Will Hurt Dubs
Although Melton had dealt with some injury issues early in the season, the early returns on his play as a Warriors were excellent. In the two games he started as shooting guard, Melton averaged 16.5 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. For the season, he was shooting 37.1% from three and providing excellent defense at the guard position.
Who Can Step Up After Melton Injury?
Melton will surely be missed by the Warriors, but his injury is just another moment for Kerr and the Warriors to prove that their “Strength in Numbers” mentality is still going strong. The Warriors have five other guards that have been taking on guard duties in the games Melton has missed. Lindy Waters II started the Hawks vs. Warriors game and has been playing well (41.7% from three this season). Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II will be part of the Warriors’ rotation due to their offensive and defensive excellence respectively. The question becomes, can Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski help fill Melton’s role?
Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins combined for 50 PTS as the Warriors rolled past the Hawks 120-97 😤pic.twitter.com/0I9XN89SYl
Wiggins 📈 27 PTS | 12-17 FG | 3-6 3PT | 7 REB | 4 AST | 2 BLK
Curry 📈 23 PTS | 7-10 FG | 4-6 3PT | 8 AST | 4 REB | 2 STLThe Warriors remain dominant at…
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) November 21, 2024
Moody and Podziemski Need To Fill In
Both Moody and Podziemski are young, hungry, and have shown tons of flashes that show why they deserve more playing time. Last season, Podziemski made the All-Rookie First Team and was the best surprise of the Warriors season. Moody signed a contract extension this offseason that will hopefully keep him a Warrior for the foreseeable future.
After lots of offseason talk about his role with the team this season with Klay Thompson leaving, so far, Podziemski has fallen short of the team and fans’ lofty expectations. The main issue has been his shot. Podziemski went from shooting 38.5% from three during his rookie season to barely shooting above 20% so far this year. If Podziemski wants to continue to get opportunities to take over as one of the Warriors’ guards of the future, he will need to find his shot once again.
De’Anthony Melton, who has missed the last two games due to a sprained left ACL, underwent further testing to determine the extent of the injury.
The tests indicated that it is in De’Anthony’s best interest to proceed with ACL surgery. He is scheduled for surgery in the near… pic.twitter.com/bdW2TOfJvs
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 21, 2024
Moody, on the other hand, is playing some of the best basketball of his career. He is enjoying career highs in scoring (8.8 ppg), 3-point percentage (42.6%), and assists (although just at 1.0 per game). He still, however, cannot seem to get consistent playing time from the coaching staff. Even with Melton, Stephen Curry, and Andrew Wiggins all missing time this season, Moody has actually seen a decrease in playing time this season.
The Warriors will need to lean on their youth to fill the gap left by Melton. Moody and Podziemski have all the capabilities to be solid NBA players, but it may come down to who can earn Kerr’s trust first.
