The Warriors have been wobbling on a tightrope all season, hovering around .500 and searching desperately for someone who can steady the chaos. Now, after more than a year battling back from a torn ACL, De’Anthony Melton is stepping forward with a message that’s as bold as it is timely: he’s ready to change everything. And for a team that has looked lost, turnover-prone, and painfully inconsistent, his return could be the moment that snaps Golden State back into relevance.
At practice Monday inside Chase Center, Melton’s confidence was impossible to miss.
“I’m trying to provide everything—shooting, playmaking, defense, IQ,” he told reporters. “I think I bring all that stuff to the table. And just having a secondary ball handler out there to help break guys down and kick out at the same time…”
It wasn’t just typical rehab optimism. It was a statement of intent.
“And my ability to shoot and defend is definitely something I think any team can use,” Melton continued. “Just being a smart basketball player too.”
For a Warriors team drowning in turnovers—16.2 a game, the fifth-most in the league—and relying almost exclusively on Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and flashes from Brandin Podziemski for ball handling, Melton’s timing couldn’t be better. The Warriors are 11–10, reeling from defensive lapses like the 31-point explosion they allowed Houston rookie Reed Sheppard, and still looking for an identity.
And the cavalry may arrive in pairs.
Melton’s return comes just as Golden State adds veteran shooter Seth Curry to solidify the second unit. With Melton’s aggression and Curry’s spacing, the Warriors’ bench could go from a liability to a lifeline.
Melton isn’t delusional about the state of the team, either.
“I think it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster,” he admitted. “Anyone can attest to that.”
But he also reminded everyone of history:
“Steve [Kerr] said it already—we were in a similar spot last year and still made the second round with a real chance at the Western Conference Finals. It’s still early. A lot can happen.”
And he’s right. Twenty-one games into the season is just long enough to expose problems, but nowhere near long enough to bury a team—especially one with Curry, Kerr, and the system that revolutionized basketball.
Melton knows what he brings. Before his injury shutdown last season, he averaged 10.3 points in just 20.2 minutes, and the Warriors were the second-highest scoring team in the NBA during that stretch at 121.2 points per game. They traded him away in the deal for Dennis Schröder, only to bring him back—and now, ironically, he might hold the key to stabilizing a roster teetering between resurgence and collapse.
The Warriors hope Melton can make his season debut during their upcoming road trip, a stretch that could determine whether their season bends toward contention or spirals toward irrelevance.
One thing is certain:
If Melton’s return matches his confidence, Golden State may have just found its most important midseason acquisition—and the spark they’ve been missing since opening night.
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