Why Draymond Compares De'anthony Melton's Pending Debut To Dennis Schröder's

Why Draymond compares De'Anthony Melton's pending debut to Dennis Schröder's originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After more than one year away from the court, De’Anthony Melton is set to make his season debut for the Warriors on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

With an 11-11 record in December, the Warriors aren’t yet in panic mode, but a sense of urgency is apparent amid a lackluster 2-4 stretch.

Sure, Melton’s return could help boost Golden State into turning a corner. But, after the Warriors’ 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, Draymond Green cautioned the idea of placing the team’s success squarely on Melton’s return. 

“We know he shoots the ball at a very high clip. He’s a great defender. He’s a great secondary ball handler for us in his time with us,” Green said to reporters postgame Tuesday at Chase Center. “But like I said, I don’t want to put a bunch of pressure on him.” 

Green likened Melton’s imminent return to the Warriors’ acquisition of guard Dennis Schröder, who made his Golden State debut last December. The team was 14-11 and was in a similar state of soul-searching. 

“I’ve never said this, but I think Dennis Schröder was probably put in one of the worst positions a player could be put in. It’s not that Dennis Schröder couldn’t work here, but we were so desperate that it was almost like everyone expected him to come in and be the savior, so he never got a fair shot…” 

“… And in turn, he got traded, and the rest is history. But here in San Francisco, we never truly got to see the player that Dennis Schröder really is because there was so much thrown at him that – if I’m honest – it wasn’t quite right, but it’s just what it was.” 

Schröder averaged 10.6 points and 4.4 assists per game with a middling 37.5 field goal percentage. He started 18 of his 24 games played with the Warriors. The team went 11-13 with Schröder before including him in a five-team trade, which landed Jimmy Butler in Golden State. 

Schröder did not provide the boost the Warriors needed, but to Green, his performance alone was not the determining factor for Golden State’s success.  

“It wasn’t like it was one person; it was everybody. There’s a standard here to win, and when you’re not doing that, everyone’s looking for that next thing to make that happen,” Green explained. “And so, I say all of that to say, I don’t want to see that happen to Melt.”

The Warriors were very successful with Melton’s contributions last season, going 9-2 before his season was cut short due to an ACL injury. During that period, Golden State averaged 121.2 points per game, the second-best scoring average in the league. 

That small sample size has generated anticipation for his return this season. Nevertheless, Green made a point to temper expectations. 

“There’s just so much that has to go on in that process of returning back to the player that you are,” Green said. “But I don’t want to see him get thrown in this fire of like, ‘ah man, he’s got to save the day and it’s on him.’ Like, nah, that’s unfair to him.” 

Last season, Melton was an efficient scorer, averaging 10.3 points in just 20.2 minutes per game. Even if it takes time to return to form, Melton contributing with scoring off the bench and providing secondary ball-handling would be a welcome sight for Golden State. 

“What he should be is the guy that comes and contributes in the way that he can, and we have to be patient with that,” Green said. “And all of us around him got to do what we got to do in order to help this team win so that that type of pressure isn’t on him.” 

Melton, 27, signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Warriors in September to rejoin the team that traded him the season before.  

Although Green cautions patience, the soul-searching Warriors hope that Melton’s contributions pay off sooner rather than later. 

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