Golden State Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton will need season-ending knee surgery.
The Warriors revealed Wednesday that Melton would have surgery shortly for a damaged left anterior cruciate ligament, which Steve Kerr says is partially torn. Melton, who had missed the previous two games, considered it in recent days, according to Kerr.
According to the Warriors, tests indicated that surgery was the best option. Melton, who has also struggled with a back problem, had been projected as a backcourt starter alongside Stephen Curry following Klay Thompson’s departure to Dallas.
“It’s obviously terrible news, I feel so bad for De’Anthony, he’s such a perfect fit for us and we were so excited to have him and he was clearly going to be our starter next to Steph,” Kerr told the crowd. “The good news is he’s a young guy and the surgery is pretty routine these days, so he should be able to come back and resume his career really well, but I feel awful for him and bad for us, too.”
Melton appeared in six games, including two starts, and averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 20.2 minutes. He missed five matches due to an injured lower back.
Lindy Waters III, who, like Melton, is a solid defender in addition to his scoring ability, will now be a regular starter and was named to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Moving ahead, the Warriors will test various combinations to see what works.
“Fortunately, we have a deep team, and guys will be ready to step up,” Kerr said, adding that he has been talking with Melton about his own career and the seventh-year guard’s upcoming free agency. “There’s been a lot of discussion behind the scenes. He is unhappy, but he knows this is the correct decision. He told me that he had spent the last few days trying to wrap his head around it and figure out what made the most sense. This is the appropriate decision; he can’t play through a partially torn ACL and expect everything to be great.
