How Could The Sixers Use De'Anthony Melton?
On the night of the 2022 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers sent the 23rd pick of the first round along with veteran Danny Green to the Memphis Grizzlies for guard De'Anthony Melton.
Since his acquisition on draft night, questions have arisen regarding how Doc Rivers could use Melton in his lineup. If Melton's time with the Grizzlies is any indication, he may be taking the sixth man spot.
Over his three seasons with Memphis, Melton only started in 24 of his 185 games. He averaged nine points, three assists, and four rebounds across 21 minutes on the court per game.
An area of Melton's game that has been improving over the years is his accuracy from the field. During his rookie year with the Phoenix Suns, Melton only shot 39 percent, a percentage which would rise to 43 percent in 2020-21.
It would dip back down to 40 percent last season, yet he is clearly getting better. After spending time with Ja Morant, perhaps time with James Harden would benefit his ability, whether it was on taking smart shots or simply perfecting his shooting form.
If Harden were to mentor Melton from beyond the arc, it might do wonders for his three-point shooting, an area in which he is getting more and more into as the seasons go on.
Melton is up to averaging five attempts from downtown per game with 37 percent accuracy, which is down from his career-high of 41 percent. The room for development is there. It is now just up to Melton to take the steps to get to that next level.
So to say that Melon has the potential to add offensive energy to Philadelphia's bench is an understatement.
Currently, the other guards on Philadelphia's bench all average similar or lesser numbers to Melton, with Furkan Korkmaz averaging eight points on 40 percent shooting across his five seasons with the Sixers.
One player who will directly compete with Melton over the second-string shooting guard is Shake Milton, who currently holds the title. Milton averages nearly identical numbers to Melton, averaging nine points, three assists, and two rebounds.
However, there is a way for Rivers to avoid clashes between the two for the shooting guard spot. The simple answer for this issue would be to demote Korkmaz to the third lineup while bringing Melton in for his spot when resting. This is thanks to Melton's versatility at the guard position, having the ability to play both point and shooting guard.
Granted, Melton does have more experience in shooting guard, his base-level experience of playing point guard should more than suffice for Rivers, as it would help alleviate depth issues.
Regardless of how the offseason shakes out for Philadelphia, Melton is a proven offensive asset who will look to improve the Sixer's bench in their quest for postseason success.
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