https://www.thestepien.com/deanthony-melton/ STRENGTHS Solid size at 6-foot-3 and length (6-foot-8 wingspan) with an established frame for a combo-guard. Plays bigger than his size from a physicality standpoint. Lacks dynamic explosiveness and burst, but is a tremendously functional athlete that is captured by his versatile abilities (rebounding, shot-blocking etc). Doesn’t have to gather before elevating: can finish above the rim off one foot with a head of steam and has long strides plus a comfortable left hand inside. Fast in transition and displays good pace and awareness as a passer in the open court. Has the court vision and enough handle to operate in pick-and-roll with solid pace as a secondary creator. Excels making skip passes. Possesses workable shooting mechanics off the catch with fairly fast release and usually catches on the hop. Active and high motor on-ball defender who consistently pressures the ball at the point of attack with active hands and mirrors both passing lanes and shot contests with his arms out or up. Has quick feet and wins with competitiveness to recover and challenge even when he gets beat on-ball. Very instinctive and smart off ball defender. Regularly makes rotations and tags the role man as a help defender. Elite off-ball anticipation to create events both in the passing lanes as a playmaker and on crash-down high-effort blocks. Elite rebounder for a guard who is a ball magnet and exerts high effort attacking the ball at its peak outside of his area. WEAKNESSES Doesn’t profile as a plus shooter yet and doesn’t have ideal mechanics with his elbow flaring out, despite having decent foundational mechanics and touch. Also not a pull-up threat at this stage. Lacks dynamic burst and elevation off one in traffic. Handle is too loose as he dribbles high too often. BOTTOM LINE Melton, similar to Bridges, projects as a high level role-player in the NBA as a two-way combo guard with high-level functional athleticism, elite defensive instincts and who can also play make for others offensively. As with most players, shooting development is crucial for Melton. If he develops a workable spot up 3 he profiles as a potentially excellent two-way secondary creator at the next level as someone who contributes to winning basketball and who is ideally paired with a wing primary creator.
Gonna get flamed for this... he's better than Ariza. His peak will surpass Ariza in a blink... 10 percent chance of being a top 10 talent via https://www.thestepien.com/player-distribution-tool/ is no joke. While it shouldn't be a shocker... I've seen this man play. USC, before allegations, had a shot at being a top 10 team because of Melton. Thx to those allegations and promptly suspension... declaration for draft... USC didn't have any real success and we landed a potential stud. We owe the incompetence of the NCAA a big thank you.
Wet. His defense looked solid too, people actually think he might make the real squad this season? That's impressive, I'm used to our picks getting sent to Rio now.
In all, I think he's got a better opp at becoming a star. Production wise, I think he will more than make up for Ariza loss (or come close), based on his skillset. We are in for a treat. His baseline is Avery Bradley IMO...
This may just be homer talk, but after having watched yesterday's game vs Brooklyn our summer league team just looks way more polished than any of the other teams I've watched. Melton, House, Qi and RJ Hunter all look like keepers and all look like they could step into meaningful minutes in the rotation if injuries start to pile up, especially at the forward spots. As a UH alum I'd like to see Rob Gray getting more playing time but it these guys are truly battling for minutes.
Melton looks like a guy who could potentially be in the rotation by the spring. Could do really well subbing in for Paul and complementing Harden.
Mike would play MCW over him for the sole reason that he's a "vet" I really wished this team developed players more during the season to let them gain confidence. One thing I really like about Pop
Spoiler: ESPN article Scouting De'Anthony Melton and his NBA draft sleeper potential Mar 31, 2018 Mike SchmitzESPN NBA draft scouting is an inexact science, and between now and June teams will exhaust all options in hopes of finding the next sleeper. One somewhat off-the-radar prospect worth highlighting: 19-year-old guard De'Anthony Melton. He's not a man of mystery, but most scouts haven't seen the 6-3 combo guard and potential first-round pick since August. Melton was unable to take the floor this season for USC, as the Trojans opted to hold him out and eventually deem him ineligible while investigating his involvement in the ongoing FBI probe. Melton, who was penalized because a close family friend reportedly received $5,000 from Christian Dawkins -- a key figure in the FBI's investigation -- eventually withdrew from USC in February to begin preparing for the draft. "I cooperated with everything they needed," Melton told ESPN after an exclusive workout and interview in Atlanta. "I was really transparent. I had nothing to hide. Whatever they needed I gave it to them. I can only respect the decision. The decision is for the school, and I understand that, but it hurt not to play. Any kid's dream is to play in college." Melton has yet to officially sign with an agent, but he's been working with former college assistant coach Tim Fuller and his management team -- All Management Group -- in Cleveland. While most teams haven't seen Melton in close to eight months, we got a look at the North Hollywood native during a private solo workout. With the help of Fuller and former No. 6 overall draft pick (2000) DerMarr Johnson, Melton went through a 75-minute workout that featured 200 mid-range jumpers, 70 3-pointers, 48 free throws and extensive ball screen work. He mixed in step-backs in both directions and deep hang-dribble pull-ups, hoping to answer questions about his shooting and overall shot creation. Melton ended the workout with one-on-ones against the long-armed, 37-year-old Johnson, with each player getting only two dribbles per possession from the left wing, the top of the key and the right wing. With a new emphasis on footwork and a balanced landing on his jumper, Melton shot the ball much better than anticipated, especially considering his career 28.0 3-point percentage in 55 games (100 attempts), according to our database. Based on charting from Melton's camp, he connected on 68 percent of his mid-range jumpers, 62.9 percent of his 3-pointers and 81.3 percent of his free throws. Melton is a bit of an enigma for NBA scouts. Some view him as an instinctual utility guard who can fit seamlessly next to stars, and others see him as an offensively limited prospect. The truth likely lies somewhere in between. As a freshman, Melton was the only player in the NCAA to average at least 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per 40 minutes. Only seven players in NCAA history have posted such stats, with Dwyane Wade and Doug Christie headlining the group. Despite some limitations as a shooter and ball handler, it's Melton's instincts, defensive versatility and unselfishness at 6-3, 195 pounds with a 6-8 wingspan that make him intriguing to teams that are already full of talented shot-makers and ball handlers. "Hustle, my work ethic, my defense, my shooting, my decision-making -- I can bring it all for a team," Melton said. "The NBA is really position-less now. You can put me wherever you need me." A former RSCI No. 223 recruit, Melton played mostly power forward at Crespi Carmelite High School and for Cal Supreme on the AAU circuit. "I was doing a lot of screening and popping," said Melton, who eventually took over as more of a point forward during his senior season. The majority of Melton's offers came from mid-major schools such as San Diego State, Nevada and Loyola Marymount. Michigan wanted him to come in and redshirt, but aside from USC, he wasn't viewed as a sure high-major player across the board. After scouting a USC preseason practice in 2016, it quickly became clear that Melton was one of the Trojans' most intriguing long-term prospects. He rebounded at a high level, defended 1 through 3 and came alive as a passer. NBA playoff teams drafting in the 20s started doing their homework. Melton is easy to nitpick. He's not dynamic with the ball and plays very right-hand dominant. He's an average athlete by NBA standards, and he's never been the most natural shooter. Some of those shortcomings showed down the stretch of his freshman season, when he averaged only 9.6 points per 40 minutes with a 47.9 true shooting percentage over his last 10 games. Shooting has long been Melton's biggest bugaboo -- he ranked in the 27th percentile in jump shot efficiency as a freshman, according to Synergy Sports, scoring only 0.552 points per possession on pull-ups. During the summer he was cut from the under-19 World Championship team, which took a handful of guards who aren't considered first-round prospects in the 2018 draft. "I just realized I wasn't as confident going into it. When you go into those places, your confidence has to be through the roof," Melton said. "After I got cut for the first time, it just made me even more mad. I wanted to work on my game a lot more." Melton did impress in preseason practices heading into his sophomore year. He figured to play a key role as a starter on a good team with the chance to play his way into first-round guarantee. But as we've seen from Thon Maker in 2016 and potentially Anfernee Simons this year, going unseen -- voluntarily or not -- can certainly help a player's draft stock, even if teams have previously watched Melton play 36 college games. "I've got my core group that I trust and that's going to give me the right advice," Melton said. "They think it's not the worst thing in the world that I didn't play ... it adds the mystery factor to it. It gives me more time to work on my game." With pre-draft workouts around the corner and the combine six weeks away, it's important for Melton to show teams his improvement. His competitiveness, strong approach to the game and sharp instincts should show up in 5-on-5 settings, especially on the defensive end, but teams who aren't quite sold on his NBA potential will focus on his ball skills and shooting. Although it was only one workout, Melton is moving in the right direction as he attempts to recapture the momentum he generated as a freshman. "My shooting ability has gotten a lot better," Melton said. "My decision-making and my defense, all that's going to never leave me. I'm going to have all that for the rest of my life. Just show teams that I'm ready and I play older than what I look like." edit: add title and byline
