Finally, the Warriors held a press conference for their new signing, Melton, and announced on social media that they had officially signed the well-balanced player. He signed a one-year, $12.8 million contract with the Warriors and will officially become part of the team by wearing the Warriors' No. 8 jersey.
In the 23-24 season, Melton played 38 regular season games for the 76ers, averaging 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 38.6% from the field and 36% from three-point range.
As a player who missed many games due to a back injury, Melton is now fully recovered, and he chose to join the Warriors more because he believes in the medical team and likes the team culture of the Warriors.
Judging from the data, although Melton was able to average double-doubles per game in the 76ers last season, his offensive efficiency was not high. In addition to the fact that he may be in average form after returning from injury, it is more due to the lack of a top-tier player on that team, and neither Maxey nor Embiid are stars who can play offense with passing. But the Warriors are different, there is a very mature offensive and defensive system here, the passing and cutting of positional battles and the lightning play in the fast break are the foundation of Wang Chao's rise, and Curry and Green can amplify Melton's talent on the offensive end.
Of course, the accomplishments are mutual, and in addition to the Warriors' potential on the offensive end, Melton can also help the Warriors' perimeter defense, as evidenced by his 1.6 steals per game last season.
You might think that the team already has an outside defensive gate, Payton Jr., is Melton's presence redundant? In fact, there is some imbalance in the lineup of this team, that is, the so-called players who can score cannot defend, and the players who can defend score averagely. Now having a player like Melton who is balanced offensively and defensively makes the Warriors have a better margin for error, and he is more strategically important than Payton Jr. I believe that in the new season, Melton will be more trusted by Coach Kerr, which is due to his style of play and strength.
In fact, the Warriors' reinforcement of management is not arbitrary, but refers to some of the team's past successes:
Hield's arrival was actually to make up for the loss caused by the departure of shooter Klay, and the introduction of Lee Kyle was considered as the playmaking core of the bench, which could play on the role of David West in the Warriors in the past - strong defense, excellent passing and playmaking, and the ability to score.
So, Melton, who is 1.91 meters tall and 26 years old, is aiming for which player in the former Warriors lineup? In fact, it is Poole, who has a weakened offense and a stronger defense, and the Warriors have been lacking a sixth man who can score with the ball after Poole's departure. Even though Podzemski has a good ball quotient, his physical fitness is mediocre and his offensive play is inconsistent, so he is still not suitable for this role.
But Melton is different, this is a player who has played in the league for many seasons, and in the past played the sixth man of the team with the Grizzlies. However, throughout his career, Melton does not have Poole's ability to hold the ball and shoot from a distance, and his offensive means are not as rich; But with the Warriors' offensive system, he can clearly play a more efficient offensive output.
At the same time, his defensive ability is a notch stronger than Poole's, and he can make some wonderful steals in a single defense; Combined with the Warriors' defensive counter-attacking tactics, their style of play is a perfect fit for this team.