If the NBA had a Comeback Player of the Year award, De’Anthony Melton would be on the short list of candidates to take it home.
After missing almost two full years with a debilitating back and then an ACL injury, Melton has been one of the Warriors’ most impactful players since returning in early December.
He is averaging 12.7 points per game and 2.5 assists per game.
But with the regular season coming to a close, and an offseason promising a large payday for a man on a veteran minimum contract, Melton’s form has taken a nosedive.
It is for good reason.
“He’s banged up. His thumb is really bothering him,” coach Steve Kerr said Melton went scoreless in 25 minutes in the Warriors’ loss to the Nuggets Sunday. “De’Anthony will bounce back. He’s had a great season and the last couple of games have been tough, but he’s been banged up, and we’ll help him get right.”
Although Kerr did not pinpoint a time when Melton’s thumb began to be an issue, stats have shown that he has struggled with his shot ever since playing a season-high 30 minutes against the Wizards on Mar. 16.
Since shooting 12 for 17 in Washington, D.C., Melton has shot just 19 of 61 from the field and connected on only 6 of 30 3-pointers.
As one of the Warriors’ only credible driving threats in the absence of Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, Melton has remained a high-volume shot creator at the rim.
However, his efficiency in the game’s most valued space has also cratered over his last five games, making only 11 of 26at the rim while being one of the focal points of every defensive game plan.
“I think he’s pressing a little bit,” Kerr said on Sunday, before adding. “He’s dribbling into traffic, and we didn’t really space well around him.”
Though Kristaps Porzingis’emergence has helped alleviate the spacing crunch that has dogged the organization for years, nothing can replace the defense-bending gravity that is missing as Curry continues to rehab from runner’s knee.
What has resulted is multiple possessions each game in which Melton tries to create a decent possession out of nothing, a role that far outpaces the $3 million he is making.
Golden State Warriors’ De’anthony Melton #8 shoots a basket past Brooklyn Nets’ E.J. Liddell #9 in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Fortunately for Melton, his struggles should not deter teams from giving him a larger contract in the offseason. Nor should the Warriors limiting him to playing a single back-to-back set this season as team doctor Rick Celebrini remains cautious with Melton’s syurgically repaired knee.
Melton has a player option to return to the Warriors for a little over $3 million, but is expected to decline it.
“I’ve been in this league a decent amount of time,” Melton said during a recent radio interview on 95.7 The Game. “So, eight years is a lot of time. I’ve put in a lot of time and effort and work into this. I think that should be rewarded and I think, for anybody, you put in that much time, effort, work and you’ve seen the results and you’ve seen how impactful you are and what you have done, like I said, you want to be rewarded for that.”
In another recent interview, Melton declared his love for Golden State and did not rule out a return. However, it is unclear how much money the Warriors would be willing to offer him.
If Draymond Green and Al Horford pick up their player options, the Warriors will have around $177 million in salary on the books for 2026-27.
With the salary cap expected to be close to $165 million, and restrictive “aprons” incurring penalties for teams that go further and further above that cap, the Warriors will have tough decisions to make this offseason.
Though Melton has proven he can fit on a healthy Warriors team, they must also navigate whether they want to bring back Porzingis, who is an unrestricted free agent.
In an ideal situation, whether in the Bay Area or elsewhere, Melton will enter the 2026-27 season playing a role far removed from the one he is currently struggling through.
The Warriors will play five consecutive home games, beginning on Wednesday against San Antonio (7 p.m., ESPN).