De’Anthony Melton brings rare defensive potential to Suns

When the Phoenix Suns traded Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss to the Houston Rockets for Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton on Aug. 30, there was not a universal reaction shared amongst the masses.

“The Rockets finally got off Ryan Anderson’s contract!”

“So much for 2018-19 Suns starting point guard Brandon Knight.”

“The Dragan Bender vs. Marquese Chriss debate is over.”

One of those reactions was focused on Melton, particularly among the NBA Draft and advanced stats community, which shares a take with others that he might wind up being the best player in the deal.

Love the De'Anthony Melton addition for Phoenix. He can fit alongside Devin Booker nicely because of his defensive versatility and ability to play on or off the ball. Suns have a couple young, low cost guards with potential in Melton and Elie Okobo. https://t.co/F2cJ7mex6l

— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) August 31, 2018

Melton is the ideal fit next Booker. Huge win for Phoenix. https://t.co/jZW9hiJACE

— Cole Zwicker (@colezwicker) August 31, 2018

Let’s start with a basic scouting rundown of Melton’s unique last two years before really diving in.

What you need to know about Melton is that he’s a 6-foot-3 point guard with a wingspan of nearly 6-foot-9 and was a historically productive stat-sheet stuffer as a freshman two seasons ago for USC.

The 20-year-old averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks a game for the Trojans. The only other freshman to average at least that many rebounds, assists, steals and blocks a game in the College-Reference databases was Dwyane Wade.

Because of this, draft models love him. ESPN’s ranked Melton the 12th-best prospect in the 2018 NBA Draft, Kevin Pelton’s had him No. 13 and The Stepien graded him having a 51.1-percent chance of being a starter-level contributor in the NBA.

Melton’s jumper, however, remained a question mark after shooting 28.4 percent from three-point range, and he lacked the true offensive pop most first-round point guard prospects need.

But because of his defensive profile, Melton was firmly on the first-round watch for the draft, and potentially could have sealed himself in as a lottery pick if he impressed enough offensively as a sophomore.

In the latest of, “man, the NCAA is pretty bad at this, huh?” news, Melton was held out by USC as the rumblings of an eligibility issue surfaced. By January, it was determined Melton was suspended for the rest of the season and would not play one second that season.

According to Melton’s attorney, a close family friend allegedly accepted an extra benefit of a plane ticket and possible payment for a hotel room at a basketball event in Las Vegas. Further reporting by ESPN determined that friend accepted $5,000 in order to “steer” Melton toward would-be agent Christian Dawkins and financial adviser Munish Sood.

There has been no evidence presented that Melton knew of these exchanges.

“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 went into his sophomore season predicted by many to have a breakout season, but instead had to sit out because of dumb decisions by someone else, and it hurt his draft stock.

Only having 36 games of year-old tape, the NBA Draft Combine and workouts to prove himself, it was no surprise to see Melton drop in the draft all the way to No. 46 overall, to the Rockets. But, let’s not overlook him slipping that far, either. There could be more red flags we aren’t aware of. The Suns also passed on him for Elie Okobo at No. 31.

Melton went into NBA Summer League with a point to prove, and boy did he prove it.

In particular, Melton matched up with No. 11 overall pick and fellow point guard prospect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and outplayed him, dropping 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

That was impressive, but Summer League is Summer League, and what stood out was Melton’s new-looking jumper that shot doctor Drew Hanlen played a part in remaking. If you’re not familiar with Hanlen’s work, he’s basketball’s go-to shot coach, working with players like Jayson Tatum, Zach LaVine and Joel Embiid.

Take two looks here at Melton’s release at USC. There’s a shotput type of sluggishness to the motion with his elbows out and the second attempt differs off the dribble, with some lean and a different release.

Now, watch Melton in Las Vegas, establishing his catch-and-shoot opportunity with a hop and smooth motion that offers no wasted movement, keeping his shoulders further in.

As you can see in the continued above video, Melton’s athleticism and aggression as a slasher also popped.

Defensively, Melton projects as a Patrick Beverley type, but his pesky play is more about overwhelming ball-handlers with his athleticism than being an agitator.

More importantly, Melton is one of the few draft prospects seen in the last five years who is a defensive playmaker.

He has off-the-charts instincts for what most would call “hustle plays.”

Cutting off the passing lane for steals, offensive rebounds, help-side blocks, etc. It’s all there.

DraftExpress broke down Melton’s freshman tape to show this level of playmaking and more of his strengths, including as a rebounder.

To bring that value full circle, think about two things: how many good-to-great offensive point guards there are in the NBA and how many good-to-great defensive point guards there are in the NBA.

There’s an imbalance there to further accentuate how much Melton can help an NBA team.

But, to get that return, Melton’s weaknesses as a prospect need to have a trade-off on a roster.

Melton could be a primary ball-handler on a team, but the fact that he’s more of a combo guard at this stage tells you what you need to know about his abilities in that department.

That means he needs to play with a wing who can handle a bulk of the offense and in a system that prioritizes heavy ball movement and doesn’t rely on individual creation.

Check and check in Phoenix.

Devin Booker has already been doing this in Phoenix and will continue to do more of it as he gets more seasoned in the league.

New head coach Igor Kokoskov showed in Las Vegas that his system will have plenty of movement by all the players, with the ball switching hands frequently along the way.

Beyond that, the Suns’ roster actually complements Melton greatly, a shocking statement considering how the Suns’ roster “complemented” Booker last year.

In the point guard rotation itself, Okobo offers a nice ying-yang skills offset for Melton, providing more instant office and playmaking with his passing. The two could certainly even play together.

Ryan Anderson, Trevor Ariza, Dragan Bender, Booker, Mikal Bridges, Troy Daniels, Okobo and Davon Reed can all the space the floor to make up for Melton’s lack of shooting.

On the other end, Ariza, Bender, Bridges, Josh Jackson and Reed project as plus-defenders, meaning the Suns could actually have some lineup combinations that feature at least three competent defensive players.

A theoretical lineup combination such as Bender, Ariza, Bridges, Booker and Melton would give Melton the dynamic offensive player in Booker to handle the offense, four different shooters to play off of and four good defenders to lock up the defense.

In general, that point is less about Melton himself and more about how the Suns revamped their roster by addressing their two biggest needs: defense and shooting.

Melton can heavily contribute to the defense, and whether or not he’s a long-term fit next to Booker or the steal of the second round, that matters and made him a notable addition to the roster.

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