Melton needs to be the starting SG

[Impuniti]

He fits what the Warriors need best. Great defender who with Wiggins and Dray will have a top 3 defense, high IQ and can shoot 3s to space the floor. I've been a proponent that he should be starting as soon as MDJ signed him. Another great move by him.

Just need him to remain healthy..

[DonaldSanders]

In the post game interview Steve said he'll be starting the next game. Melton starting made sense before the season, and I guessed he's proven it now. He was a flamethrower tonight, and we need him as a ball handler, shooter, and defender in the lineup.

Obviously health is the concern and why we got him for the price we did, but we can sit him as needed.

[SpreeS]

Our best unit to start must be Green/Kuminga/Wiggs/Melton/Curry

C Green/ PF Kuminga has +17nrtg so far. This combination has +12 rtg last year.

2 unit Looney(Davis)/Anderson/Moody(Payton)/Hield/Podz

[Jester_]

Curry-Melton-Wiggins-Dray-Looney should be our starting lineup

bring all the young guns off the bench to shred through bench units

[DonaldSanders]

Curry-Melton-Wiggins-Dray-Looney should be our starting lineup

bring all the young guns off the bench to shred through bench units

Yup, then you can go small with Kuminga at the 4 and Dray at the 5 when needed, potentially to close games.

[Onus]

The last domino is Looney for TJD. But then what will the board complain about next?

[Jester_]

The last domino is Looney for TJD. But then what will the board complain about next?

you underestimate my power

[Senchu]

Not enough Moody mins is next!

[Impuniti]

The last domino is Looney for TJD. But then what will the board complain about next?

[Scoots1994]

Melton has missed 30 or more games in half of his seasons in the NBA. A little rough to rely on him as a starter.

If starting Melton shoots like he did against OKC then you have to go with him regardless though

[Twinkie defense]

Not only did Kerr say Melton would start against the Mavs, he said he is the starting two now going forward - Steph/Melton/Wiggs/Draymond/TJD. That's the lineup.

Personally I like that but with GPII in for TJD.

[vvoland]

Not only did Kerr say Melton would start against the Mavs, he said he is the starting two now going forward - Steph/Melton/Wiggs/Draymond/TJD. That's the lineup.

Personally I like that but with GPII in for TJD.

I think the 4 starters should be Steph/Melton/Wiggs/Dray with the 5th being matchup/performance based. Looney has played really well to start the year. Podz or Buddy would be good options if we need the O. JK, if his shot holds up and they need the athleticism/scoring. As much as we fixate on the starting unit, it's the people Kerr closes with that will matter.

[CDM_Stats]

In terms of urgency, I dont think Melton subbing into the starting lineup is *the* need. I do think he is the best fit though - he's a bit of a combo guard which helps keep the ball out of Dray/Curry's TO prone hands, he's a great on-ball defender (passable off-ball), and he's a floor stretcher. However a case could be made for Moody or even GP2 in situations that call for a bigger player or a more defense-heavy approach

But until TJD is replaced, we aren't really addressing the biggest concern. We're still not seeing the Wiggins-Dray-Looney combo, and I'd love for any reporter to just once ask why they shy away it. Starting that trio is very important for setting the tone, but most importantly, Looney's unlikely to be closing many games, so behooves everyone to get those minutes in early

[CDM_Stats]

The last domino is Looney for TJD. But then what will the board complain about next?

Starting him likely crosses off by big 2 issues... TJD needs to be benched and the Wiggins-Dray-Looney trio needs to happen again

Kerr's been mostly good besides these two things and has already pulled one big move in JK as a bench scorer. Right now though I'm not optimistic as its plain as day that TJD is struggling yet nothing is really changing here

[WarriorGM]

TJD is an issue because the Dubs have been playing some of the best teams recently. Against average opposition it probably won't be. Giving him some time to develop does make some sense and is something Kerr should have done with previous players if they are expected to be sticking around with the team going forward.

[DonaldSanders]

In terms of urgency, I dont think Melton subbing into the starting lineup is *the* need. I do think he is the best fit though - he's a bit of a combo guard which helps keep the ball out of Dray/Curry's TO prone hands, he's a great on-ball defender (passable off-ball), and he's a floor stretcher. However a case could be made for Moody or even GP2 in situations that call for a bigger player or a more defense-heavy approach

But until TJD is replaced, we aren't really addressing the biggest concern. We're still not seeing the Wiggins-Dray-Looney combo, and I'd love for any reporter to just once ask why they shy away it. Starting that trio is very important for setting the tone, but most importantly, Looney's unlikely to be closing many games, so behooves everyone to get those minutes in early

Totally guessing, but I wonder if there is some back-and-forth between MDJ and Steve about needing to see what guys can do in certain roles. So with Looney, despite him having a bad year last season, they see he's closer to what we used to have. We know what Loon offers. TJD is still the mystery box, and perhaps evaluating him for a period with the starters is something they both agreed made sense. At least in the statistical world (as you know) sample size is important, and they wanted to give him a minimum # of games.

If TJD falls out of the starting lineup it makes me wonder if C will be a trade target. I don't know who they would go after though... can Kessler play in our system? Maybe Goga if Orlando has a bad record and Paolo will be out longer?

I do think Melton will be the primary starter, but situationally we'll see others like GPII or Moody rotating in. Melton's minutes/games I can see being managed to keep him in good shape.

[Twinkie defense]

In terms of urgency, I dont think Melton subbing into the starting lineup is *the* need. I do think he is the best fit though - he's a bit of a combo guard which helps keep the ball out of Dray/Curry's TO prone hands, he's a great on-ball defender (passable off-ball), and he's a floor stretcher. However a case could be made for Moody or even GP2 in situations that call for a bigger player or a more defense-heavy approach

But until TJD is replaced, we aren't really addressing the biggest concern. We're still not seeing the Wiggins-Dray-Looney combo, and I'd love for any reporter to just once ask why they shy away it. Starting that trio is very important for setting the tone, but most importantly, Looney's unlikely to be closing many games, so behooves everyone to get those minutes in early

8-2 baby! Top of the West

[CDM_Stats]

In terms of urgency, I dont think Melton subbing into the starting lineup is *the* need. I do think he is the best fit though - he's a bit of a combo guard which helps keep the ball out of Dray/Curry's TO prone hands, he's a great on-ball defender (passable off-ball), and he's a floor stretcher. However a case could be made for Moody or even GP2 in situations that call for a bigger player or a more defense-heavy approach

But until TJD is replaced, we aren't really addressing the biggest concern. We're still not seeing the Wiggins-Dray-Looney combo, and I'd love for any reporter to just once ask why they shy away it. Starting that trio is very important for setting the tone, but most importantly, Looney's unlikely to be closing many games, so behooves everyone to get those minutes in early

Totally guessing, but I wonder if there is some back-and-forth between MDJ and Steve about needing to see what guys can do in certain roles. So with Looney, despite him having a bad year last season, they see he's closer to what we used to have. We know what Loon offers. TJD is still the mystery box, and perhaps evaluating him for a period with the starters is something they both agreed made sense. At least in the statistical world (as you know) sample size is important, and they wanted to give him a minimum # of games.

If TJD falls out of the starting lineup it makes me wonder if C will be a trade target. I don't know who they would go after though... can Kessler play in our system? Maybe Goga if Orlando has a bad record and Paolo will be out longer?

I do think Melton will be the primary starter, but situationally we'll see others like GPII or Moody rotating in. Melton's minutes/games I can see being managed to keep him in good shape.

Maybe, but Kerr has never really operated that way. Could be argued he did it with JK, but when JK struggled, that was that. Plug pulled.. there's been no signs of that re: TJD except that he doesnt get put back into the game every time. Which is fine, I guess, but its missing the point - Looney's earned it

And yes Looney didnt have a good season last year and TJD outperformed expectations.. on a team that was a mess, frequently anchored by slow players and a horrible set of defensive lineups that made defense not an issue, since the thing was so screwed up that it in no way resembles their defense now. Took just a couple preseason games to see that TJD was going to be a problem.. I think there's a mentality here to 'get him back to the level he was last year' - this is that level. His peripherals are the same, with the exception of a higher assist rate (probably due to overall increased offensive efficiency but thats just an educated guess)

His boxout rate is still the same and very low. He's getting less uncontested rebounds now though. Shot challenged rate is roughly the same.. lots of the usual markers for bigs are the same. When the team is playing winning basketball, this is who he is currently. I dont think throwing him to the wolves and hoping for a turnaround is a good idea short or long term for him, and I dont think keeping Looney out of 5 man units with the guys who he helps be better (and vice versa) is good either.

All that said, not sure how we could trade TJD. And I dont think I'd want to either - he's not useless. But like JK, you have to account for who he is and not who you wish he'd be. As a backup, 12mpg type C, he gets an opportunity to get rolling against backups.. but the other issue is you probably dont want him and JK on at the same time either. But the team really needs to stop prioritizing him over Looney and JK, who are both more important and better players

[CDM_Stats]

TJD is an issue because the Dubs have been playing some of the best teams recently. Against average opposition it probably won't be. Giving him some time to develop does make some sense and is something Kerr should have done with previous players if they are expected to be sticking around with the team going forward.

I've been saying this since preseason, his bad play has been all year, and I noted last year both he and JK were being given undue credit for succeeding in a broken system. Its nice to know, but the system is working again and the people who make it work are more important. Kerr did an excellent job clocking the Kuminga situation.. now its time to do the same to TJD

[CDM_Stats]

In terms of urgency, I dont think Melton subbing into the starting lineup is *the* need. I do think he is the best fit though - he's a bit of a combo guard which helps keep the ball out of Dray/Curry's TO prone hands, he's a great on-ball defender (passable off-ball), and he's a floor stretcher. However a case could be made for Moody or even GP2 in situations that call for a bigger player or a more defense-heavy approach

But until TJD is replaced, we aren't really addressing the biggest concern. We're still not seeing the Wiggins-Dray-Looney combo, and I'd love for any reporter to just once ask why they shy away it. Starting that trio is very important for setting the tone, but most importantly, Looney's unlikely to be closing many games, so behooves everyone to get those minutes in early

8-2 baby! Top of the West

lol calm down Mark Jackson, we can always be better.. its going to get rougher out there. But the whole JK situation laid the ground work for this and if JK can accept a smaller role for the better of the team, TJD should be able to as well