Heading into their final matchup of a grueling road trip, the Golden State Warriors are preparing their offseason acquisition, De'Anthony Melton, for the next step towards making his season debut.
Before Wednesday night's matchup between the Warriors and the Miami Heat, Golden State released an official statement, highlighting the status of Melton.
"Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton, who underwent surgery to repair a torn left ACL on December 4, 2024, continues to make good progress with his rehabilitation. He has intensified his workouts in recent weeks, participating in practice and scrimmages with the Santa Cruz Warriors on multiple occasions. He will continue to be integrated in full practice and various scrimmages with the Warriors. He will be re-evaluated again in 10 days."
Melton is patiently waiting to debut for his second stint with the Warriors. After a two-year run with the Philadelphia 76ers, Melton hit the free agency market and signed with the Golden State Warriors on a one-year deal.
He was expected to be a promising addition, but his first run with the Warriors was riddled with injuries. After six games, he underwent season-ending ACL surgery.
Before hitting the injury report, Melton posted averages of 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He was shooting 40 percent from the field and 37 percent from three. The Warriors shipped Melton to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Dennis Schroder. When Melton left, he planned to rehab in Brooklyn, but the door was left open for his potential return to the Warriors.
Sure enough, the Warriors remained interested. Melton re-signed with the Warriors back in October, but has yet to make his debut. His knee recovery has been a massive obstacle to overcome, but Melton seems to be making good progress at this point. While another evaluation won't guarantee he'll get cleared to suit up and play, there is a chance Melton is could get activated in a little over a week.
Melton could miss at least five more games, and is potentially staring at more, depending on how the evaluation goes. The Warriors aren't desperate early on, but the 9-7 team could use some valuable depth. Since 2018, Melton has averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.
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