SAN FRANCISCO – A mere two games after Warriors coach Steve Kerr settled on a starting lineup, the team was bitten by the injury epidemic raging through the NBA’s Western Conference.
De’Anthony Melton, who started the last two games at shooting guard, sustained a sprained left ACL against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday and will be out indefinitely, the Warriors announced Thursday afternoon.
“It's disappointing,” Kerr said after practice. “That was really the perfect mix. De’Anthony does a little bit of everything: on-ball defense, rebounding, 3-point shooting, playmaking. It was great fit, and that's why we targeted him.
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“The fact that he's going to be out the next game is a bummer. We were finding some momentum. We'll see how this unfolds. We've got options, we've got a lot of depth, and we were very capable of filling in. But it's very disappointing for him and for us.”
With Melton joining Stephen Curry in the backcourt, and Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis starting up front the last two games, the Warriors defeated the Thunder last Sunday in Oklahoma City and then returned home to beat the defending Western Conference champion Mavericks.
That was Golden State’s seventh different starting lineup, and likely the one Kerr will deploy when Melton returns.
For now, once again, Kerr must go into shuffle mode. The last time there was a vacancy in the backcourt, on Nov. 8 at Cleveland, Kerr started Gary Payton II. GP2 also started in Washington on Nov. 4. On Nov. 6 at Boston, it was Moses Moody. Earlier, when Curry was out with a slight ankle sprain, Brandin Podziemski made three starts.
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What now?
“I still have to think about it,” Kerr said. “But we've got good options. And I feel great about our depth and our ability to play through injuries.”
Kerr’s history is that he tends to give strong consideration to matchups. GP2 got the call against smallish playmakers like the Wizards’ Jordan Poole and the Cavaliers’ dynamic backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Moody’s start came against the longer Celtics. With both Curry and Wiggins out for the Oct. 30 win over New Orleans, Kerr turned to Lindy Waters III and Podziemski.
The Warriors on Friday face a Memphis team without starting guards Ja Morant (right hip subluxation and pelvic muscle strains) and Desmond Bane (right oblique strain). In a 128-123 loss to the Lakers on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the Grizzlies started Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jaylen Wells in the backcourt.
Considering Memphis’ frontcourt length – averaging a shade under 7 feet – it’s reasonable to believe Kerr would lean toward the 6-foot-5 Moody alongside Curry.
Whoever gets the start won’t be guaranteed to get the next start. The only players with multiple starts next to Curry in the backcourt are Wiggins (three) and Melton (two).
With Melton’s absence – which Buddy Hield assumes will last a “couple weeks” – the Warriors join most of their wounded competitors in the West.
Here is a list of significant players, aside from Golden State, dealing with injuries on the top eight teams:
Oklahoma City: Chet Holmgren (Iliac fracture), Alex Caruso (hip soreness).
Phoenix: Bradley Beal (left calf strain), Kevin Durant (left calf strain).
Denver: Aaron Gordon (right calf strain).
Houston: Steven Adams (right knee injury recovery).
Lakers: Jaxson Hayes (left ankle sprain), Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery), Christian Wood (left knee surgery recovery)
Grizzlies (in addition to Morant and Bane): Brandon Clarke (left toe soreness), GG Jackson (fifth metatarsal repair), Vince Williams Jr. (left tibial stress reaction),
Kings: Malik Monk (right ankle sprain).