Brandin Podziemski’s back issue may have opened the door for De’Anthony Melton after a rough preseason left the veteran guard on the outside of Golden State’s starting shooting guard competition.
Podziemski tweaked his back on Sunday and did not practice Monday, which puts his status in question for the Warriors’ season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. That matters even more for a Golden State group that is already short on bodies before the new season even tips off.
Melton, meanwhile, did little in preseason to win the job outright. He averaged 5.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists while turning it over 1.4 times per game, numbers that were undercut further by ugly shooting marks: 26.9% from the field and 25% from 3-point range. He finished 15th on the team in plus-minus, and among the Warriors’ regular rotation players, only Al Horford - whose minutes were carefully managed - graded worse in that category.
Even with those struggles, Melton could still find himself in the opening-night lineup simply because the alternatives are so limited. Golden State is already set to begin the year without Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody, and that shortage leaves Steve Kerr and his staff with few clean options.
Brandon Williams, Melton’s high school teammate, had the better preseason, but there is no sign he is about to jump into a starting role if Podziemski can’t go. The Warriors still view Melton as a natural fit alongside Stephen Curry, while Williams is expected to provide bench scoring in a sixth-man role.
The injury picture only got murkier around the team this week. Curry briefly worried everyone when he limped off the floor during Sunday’s open practice, though Kerr said the franchise star will be available Wednesday night.
Charles Bassey is also dealing with knee tendinitis and is day-to-day, adding more strain to a thin center group with Porzingis out and Horford on a minutes restriction.
Podziemski had been one of the few Warriors players they could reasonably expect to rely on after playing all 82 games last season. Now, after the back tweak and the missed practice, the recently extended guard’s status has become one more opening-night question - and one that could push Melton back into the spotlight.
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