De’Anthony Melton’s ACL injury shifted Warriors season dramatically

Melton’s misfortune didn’t just cost the Warriors a solid starting lineup—it forced their younger guards to step up.

Looking back at Golden State’s early November nights, it’s wild how quickly everything shifted. One moment you’re watching De’Anthony Melton drill five threes against the Thunder, grabbing 10 rebounds like some kind of defensive savant, and thinking “damn, Kerr might have actually cracked the code.” The next? Season over, ACL torn, and suddenly Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have the weight of the season on their shoulders.

The cruel irony? Melton’s injury came in exactly the kind of marquee win that should’ve been a building block, not a catalyst for unplanned development. November 12th against Dallas – a team that had just poached Klay Thompson and was riding high off their Finals run. Melton put up 14 points in 26 minutes, helping the Warriors take down a legitimate Western Conference threat.

Two nights earlier against OKC – who are now making their Finals push – Melton was even better: 19 points, 10 boards, five made threes, playing like the perfect complement to Steph’s brilliance.

Steve Kerr had been cycling through options all season – Gary Payton II here, Moses Moody there – searching for the right combination. When he finally found it in Melton’s 37.9% three-point shooting and elite defensive versatility, it wasn’t just solving a starting lineup puzzle. It was creating a sustainable depth chart where Podziemski could continue his sophomore evolution and Moody could build on his fourth-year foundation without the pressure of being immediate difference-makers.

But the basketball gods have a sick sense of humor. Melton’s season-ending ACL surgery didn’t just sideline a player – it completely restructured the Warriors’ developmental timeline. Suddenly, Podziemski’s court vision and Moody’s improved shooting weren’t just nice-to-have bench contributions. They became essential rotation pieces in a championship chase that couldn’t afford growing pains.

The double-edged sword couldn’t be sharper. On one hand, this kind of exposure is exactly what young players need to accelerate their development. Podziemski, showing flashes of the playmaking that made him a draft steal, suddenly finds himself in high-leverage situations that would typically take years to earn. Moody, after years of inconsistent opportunities, gets the extended run he’s been craving to prove his shooting and defensive improvements are real.

On the other hand? The Warriors’ carefully constructed depth strategy just went out the window. When you’re dealing with an aging core and a championship window that’s rapidly closing, player development is supposed to be a luxury, not a necessity.

What stings most is the timing. Kerr called Melton “really the perfect mix,” and he wasn’t being hyperbolic. The Warriors had found their sustainable rotation for exactly two games. The irony runs deeper when you consider that both Podziemski and Moody have shown flashes of exactly what the Warriors need. But flashes aren’t championships. Development curves don’t bend to playoff schedules. And while the increased exposure might accelerate their growth, it also exposes every growing pain in real time – with real consequences for a team that thought it had solved its rotation puzzle.

Melton ended up getting traded to the Nets, but there’s hope the Dubs reunite with him in the offseason.