Before he joined forces in Golden State, Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton was on the other side of a heated matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.
In 2022, Melton was a key bench player for the Grizzlies in the Western Conference semifinals against the Warriors.
Speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Bonta Hill on “Dubs Talk,” Melton said the feverish series was a learning experience for him and the Grizzlies alike.
“Man, we wanted to kill [the] dynasty so bad,” Melton said. “Like, you had to come and show us and understand like — why are y’all so good? Why [are] y’all so great?”
“We not [going to] just lay down and let you tell us why, but like, you got to come in here and get it.”
The second-seeded Grizzlies were having a breakout season, led by star-in-the-making Ja Morant. Their 56-win total tied the franchise record for most wins in a season.
They were brimming with confidence, and rightfully so.
“We really felt like day in and day out, game in and game out — we just take it game by game, you never know what could happen…” Melton explained. “… We just erred on the side of – come show us. Like, see who really wants to play today, because we got 10 deep that want to play.”
“So, it’s like – how bad do y’all want to play. Some got family, some got kids, they got paid, they paid up already. But like, we [were] all young and hungry, so come on with it.”
But Melton and the Grizzlies learned what a Steph Curry-led Warriors team can do. The Warriors went on to win the series in six games.
“It’s hard to win. And I mean, in 2022, no one thought the Warriors were going to go on to win,” Melton recalled. “It’s just crazy, seeing them having to go through us and that would be one of their tougher series.”
It was indeed one of the toughest series in Golden State’s championship run. The only other series that went longer than five games was the Finals against the Boston Celtics, which the Warriors won in six games as well.
Despite Melton’s effectiveness in the series, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins did not utilize him consistently throughout the series. Melton says he should have seen much more of the court, and his limited use led to his departure from the team.
“I felt that my impact on the series could have been a lot more. Even if it’s not from scoring – even though I was scoring pretty well that series – just how I felt defensively, and how I felt knowing the offense that we [were] going against, the players I was guarding,” Melton explained. “I thought I was doing a good job on Steph, and I felt like I was doing a great job on [Jordan Poole]. So, I feel like I should have been a little extended in that time and that’s what led to me ultimately not being there.”
Melton was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the following offseason. He signed with the Warriors once that contract expired and became a free agent.
If the Warriors are to make a playoff run, Melton’s experience against the team in 2022 could prove useful for Steve Kerr.