The Warriors brought De’Anthony Melton back with a very specific idea in mind: put him next to Stephen Curry and let the fit work itself out. That plan got derailed almost immediately when Melton tore his ACL six games into the 2024-25 season, and even after he returned to Golden State following a midseason move to the Brooklyn Nets, he never looked fully back to form.
Still, there was enough there to matter. In 49 regular season games, Melton gave the Warriors useful minutes, averaging 12.3 points while shooting 40.7% from the field. Now he’s back on a two-year, $12.5 million deal, and Golden State is clearly betting that there’s more to squeeze out of his game.
The biggest swing for the Warriors comes in how Melton pairs with Curry. Right now, Melton has a real path to the starting shooting guard job over Brandin Podziemski, and the reason is simple: defense. But if Golden State can get him doing more than that - if he can handle the ball more often and help organize possessions - the whole backcourt picture changes.
That matters because the Warriors have leaned on Curry as their primary point guard for a long time, and there’s no sign they’re about to flip the offense on its head in 2026-27. Even so, Curry is getting older, and the team needs someone who can take a little of that load off his plate.
Curry has always been elite off the ball, darting through screens and hunting open space, and Golden State used to have enough playmaking around him to keep that balance intact. With Draymond Green occasionally functioning as a point forward, it all fit.
That kind of support has been harder to find lately. Any possession Curry doesn’t have to initiate is a win for Golden State, and the Warriors could start nudging back toward that old balance if Melton and Brandon Williams can help carry some of the creation burden in 2026-27.
Melton’s resume as a playmaker isn’t exactly loaded. He hasn’t averaged more than three assists since his rookie year, and he had turnover issues last season while trying to settle into Golden State’s offense. But his career assist-to-turnover ratio sits at 1.93, and the Warriors have already seen brief flashes of what he can do with the ball in his hands.
Podziemski may still have the higher ceiling as a long-term ball-handler. But if his scoring and decision-making don’t become more consistent when he’s operating on the ball, Melton’s defense is likely to carry more weight when Golden State decides how to structure its rotation.
And that’s the opportunity here. If Melton can be trusted with more on-ball reps, he brings the kind of complete skill set that would make him a natural fit alongside Curry in the starting group. At the very least, the Warriors need to give him the chance to unlock that in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Warriors Newcomer Sees Curry And Co. With Something To Prove
Georges Niang is back in the league and back in a place where his skill set should make sense almost immediately. After missing a year while recovering from a left foot injury, he signed a one-year veteran minimum deal with the Warriors and arrives as another floor-spacing piece for an offense that has long leaned on three-point shooting. For a player like Niang, the fit is obvious enough, but the appeal also runs deeper because the roster around him still features the kind of star power that changes how every possession is played.
Stephen Curry is the obvious headliner, but Niang also pointed to Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler as part of what makes this situation attractive. The feeling around the group is not just familiarity with elite talent, but a sense that there is something to prove after a year away and a fresh chance to show he can help a contender in a system built for his strengths. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Cant Afford To Watch Ben Simmons Prove Them Wrong
The Warriors at least did their homework on Ben Simmons this summer, showing interest in bringing him in for training camp before he took another path. For a team that has long valued versatility and defensive playmaking, the idea of a healthy, engaged Simmons was worth a look, especially with the kind of low-risk familiarity that comes with a camp invitation.
Simmons went elsewhere, though, and landed with the Kings on a non-guaranteed deal that gives him a quieter setting to try to rebuild his career. Richard Jefferson has even floated the idea that Simmons could still play at an All-Star level if the mental side falls into place, which is exactly the sort of rebound story Golden State does not need to watch unfold from afar if he finds his footing in Sacramento. [Read more 🡒]
D'Angelo Russell's NBA Future Just Took Another Brutal Turn
DAngelo Russells latest stop may be over before it really starts. After being acquired by Memphis from Washington in July, he has been stuck in the kind of roster limbo that has followed him since his second stint with the Lakers, and the Grizzlies are now trying to sort through a crowded backcourt picture as camp and roster decisions come into focus.
For Russell, the larger issue is the same one that has shadowed him for a while now: where does he fit, and who still sees a clear role for him? He did not play for the Wizards after signing there, and if Memphis moves on, the next chapter would likely be as a free agent trying to latch onto a veteran team that still wants a backup point guard and believes there is something useful left in his game. [Read more 🡒]