De'Anthony Melton wasn't wearing a splint or an ice solid on his left knee as he sat at his locker Wednesday night. To the naked eye, he didn't appear like a player who needed season-ending surgery.
But Melton had spent the last week strengthening his sprained knee and the muscles around it. He spent the time getting three opinions from doctors about the most effective plan of action in hopes of returning to court.
Ultimately, Melton and the Warriors decided that surgery on his sprained ACL – a routine procedure in today's modern medicine – would protect him from future re-injury.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” Melton said.
Unfortunately for Melton and unfortunately for the Warriors, it's real.
Melton played six games as a Warrior and can hit free agency next summer while recovering from surgery. How the Warriors (11-3) reply to his interim absence could determine whether or not they carry the momentum from their hot begin to the season.
What's next for Melton?
Melton is scheduled to undergo surgery on Dec. 3, he said. After that, he plans to rehab with the team within the Bay Area.
That latter detail is a pleasant bonus for Golden State's locker room welcoming Melton. The veteran sits on team planes with Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Kyle Anderson and his optimistic personality has made an impression on the team.
Melton staying here’s a nice advantage for the Warriors in a very unlucky situation.
Golden State signed Melton to a one-year, $12.8 million contract last summer, meaning he will likely be a free agent again after the season ends. Most modern-era players fully get better from ACL surgeries, so Melton will likely have loads of suitors in free agency — not less than for an additional short-term contract.
Financial impact
The Warriors plan to use for a disabled player waiver that may be price $6.4 million, based on The Athletic. The idea of this rule is to guard teams from season-ending injuries and provides them purchasing power to reply to them.
But Golden State would should work to even claim the exception.
Since the Warriors have lower than $1 million from the opening court and have a tough cap at that limit, they won't give you the option to spend the cash earmarked for a Melton substitute. They would should outsource their salary via trades to benefit from the DPE.
In the short term and possibly for the foreseeable future, Melton's replacements will need to come back out of the team.
It's also possible that the Warriors could use Melton's expiring contract to make a trade.
Starting group
Melton had earned the starting shooting guard role and complemented Steph Curry as a two-way player. The Warriors were determined to defeat the group of 5. The five-man unit of Melton, Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis outscored opponents by 22.4 points per 100 possessions.
“He’s a perfect fit for us and we were thrilled to have him,” said Steve Kerr.
The injury puts Golden State back in first place.
The Warriors remain committed to starting Jackson-Davis alongside Green within the frontcourt, which limits her options at shooting guard. A 3-point shooter is practically a requirement, and the Warriors have focused on defense in most of their lineups.
Kerr has played with Lindy Waters III for the last three games and the 27-year-old has played well for essentially the most part. Against the Hawks on Wednesday night, Waters made Trae Young difficult defensively, scoring 10 points in 23 minutes.
Waters fit into the starting lineup for the Warriors due to his feel for the sport, his outside shot and his competitiveness on defense and along the boards.
“He knows how to play,” Draymond Green said. “Coming from an organization like OKC, you notice it right away in training camp. You just always know where you need to be, know what defensive rotations and assignments are, and know how to get into space.”
Waters played 23 minutes in Wednesday night's win. The only potential problem that might arise together with his signing is the looks of giving more possibilities to someone he might not be invested in long-term, reasonably than players like Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski.
But so long as the starting five works and the Warriors keep winning, that may't be a priority.
Brandin Podziemski is much more within the highlight
When asked about Podziemski's struggles this season, Draymond Green replied that it was the media's fault before launching right into a five-minute monologue in regards to the pressure.
“It's hard to have a great rookie season and then come back and have the second year just as good or better,” Green said. “It's difficult. That's why you've all the time heard the second-year slump. It's a really difficult thing. And I feel he just put a lot pressure on himself to be the player he desires to be and which he believes he ought to be and it’s unnecessary.”
If pressure creates diamonds, Podziemski has a tough time showing it.
This summer, Podziemski made headlines, partly due to trade rumors, but additionally because Joe Lacob said he believed he could possibly be an All-Star. The result to date has been striking: Podziemski was visibly frustrated after missing throws on the pitch.
Podziemski began 10 of 48 (20.8%) from 3-point land and shot 60% from the free throw line. After being a first-team All-Rookie selection last yr, all of his numbers are down.
To his credit, Podziemski's shooting issues didn't affect the remaining of his game. He remains to be a threat on defense, an initiator of quick attacks and a wise passer. He remains to be a member of a lot of Golden State's best lineups. And since he missed his shot, he worked tirelessly to rediscover it.
“What he's great at doing is doing all the other things on the floor,” Green said. “…If you don't have to have that pressure, and I say this from experience, then don't put that pressure on yourself. Because it’s difficult to live night after night depending on whether you’re recording or not.”
Podziemski has also been coping with a broken nose from the preseason, a mysterious illness that caused him to miss a game with dizziness (the team has not identified a diagnosis) and was hit within the face (X-rays on his nose) on Wednesday. got here back negative).
All of Green's the explanation why Podziemski should take just a little break are the identical reasons the Warriors need him to step up.
After Melton, Podziemski is the Warriors' best candidate for a real two-way guard. One of the explanations Melton was so worthwhile was because he could play with anyone and unlock different mixtures. Podziemski can do the identical.
But that's difficult in case you don't record.
The Warriors consider in Podziemski in the current and future. Whether he returns to the starting lineup like he did last season or stays the lead playmaker within the second unit, the Warriors need him to play with the form of swagger he displayed last yr. The knight will fall if he does.
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