Sixers: Player Grades for every player at the All-Star break
SG. 76ers. DE'ANTHONY MELTON. B+.
Written by: Kunal Chawda
Many NBA pundits widely applauded President Daryl Morley’s move for De’Anthony Melton. Moving away from injured Danny Green and the draft rights to David Roddy – the No. 23 selection in the 2022 NBA Draft – the 76ers added significant depth on both ends of the floor.
Famously known as “Mr. Do Something”, Melton lived up to his name and even earned a starting role, contributing to most of the games for this Philly team. Coming off a career-best season with the Grizzlies, he excelled in every department of the game. The 24-year-old averages 11 points, 1.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, 55% FG, and 41% from three-point range in 29 minutes of floor time, all career-highs.
He erupted for a career-high 33 points against the Lakers on December 9th and had a massive seven steals in the process. Though Embiid, Harden, Maxey, and Harris remain primary scorers for the team, Melton remains fifth on the scoring and usage chart. In the given team offensive format, Melton has ten games with more than 15 points and has shot 50% or above in 23 games, which is quite impressive.
Melton was characterized as a very solid ‘three-and-D’ player, plus a bit of everything, exactly what the Sixers were looking to strengthen their chances in the league. Playing at the guard position, 6’2″ Melton managed nearly one-third of his made field goals last season unassisted, emphasizing his ability to be a secondary creator.
With Thybulle’s departure just around the trade deadline, De’Anthony Melton might see an increase in usage and can prove to be the X Factor in the Sixers’ success. Per last season’s stats, the defensive duos of Sixers – Thybulle, and Melton, were first and second in steal percentage and first and third in deflections per minute last year, respectively.
This season Melton ranks 8th in the deflections per game with a total of 164 deflections in his 50 games. With Thybulle’s departure, we might see more of Melton for defensive duties, and his all-around production could be the difference in the Philadelphia 76ers’ success.