De'Anthony Melton reflects on NBA journey from second-round pick to Warriors | Dubs Talk | NBCSBA

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Years. Yeah, that's a lot. 5 years. Yeah, see, San Jose State education over there. 5 years, 0% financing for 60 months. All right, go ahead and go to sleeproll.com for that. Sleeproll.com. Money, this is gonna be fun because we've been dying to talk to De'anthony Melton. We only got to see him for 6 games last season.

Yeah.

And he left the lasting impression during those 6 games as they beat the Dallas Mavericks in his last game before he tore his ACL. Warriors traded him away to Brooklyn in the Dennis Schroeder deal, but he was a free agent and the Warriors like, hey, we're gonna get this joker back. We're gonna get Melton back. And they brought him back and look, he's starting to come along here. His first game against Philadelphia, it was like riding a bike for him. Made the defensive play on Tyrese Maxey. We won't remember it because Vijay Edgcomb came in for the offensive tip-in. But Melton, although he's starting to find his shot right now, you can see another ball handler, extra ball handler. He's defending at a high level. You see why Melton fits into this puzzle of the Golden State Warriors here in 2025-26.

Yeah, you know why they wanted him back, you know, even though they traded him last season. And like he said, yeah, I would've traded myself, you know, but but there was always going to be a reunion. He kind of knew that, they kind of knew that. And even all summer long, as the drama around Jonathan Kuminga was lingering, there was always— De'anthony Melton was always going to be there in the background. He was coming back to the Warriors. He wanted to be with the Warriors, and you know why. I mean, he wanted to play with this team. He loved the way the camaraderie— he loved the guys he was playing with last season, likes the coaching staff, likes the medical staff. And so He's committed. He's committed. And one of the reasons why I want to talk to— one of the many reasons why I want to talk to him is because I'm always intrigued by the guys that come out of Southern California.

Yep.

Because they got— that's a hotbed of hoops down there, man. And so I used to talk to Klay Thompson about the guys he played with and against. Klay was down there with guys like Harden and Paul George and and Kawhi and Russell Westbrook and all those guys are coming out around the same time. And so with Melton, you know, he was down there with, with, with, uh, with the Balls. And so there was like all this stuff about LA basketball.

Yeah.

The guys he played with and against and just making his way around this NBA. And you may recall that he did have a juicy opinion about the Golden State Warriors. I'm not gonna give it away because you gotta hear him say it and explain it, but I'll just say his juicy opinion is, you know, kind of not too far wrong. It's kind of right.

Don't give it away, Marty.

Don't give it away. Don't give it away. Uh, yeah, he's very—

and then, you know how— I'm not going to give it away. Just take a look. He wasn't the biggest basketball fan growing up. Yeah, shocking. Football guy. Hey, preferred football.

Preferred football.

And the team he roots for is also a shocker. So we're We've got that with him, his top 5 West Coast rappers, which I don't think he stopped at 5.

I thought he just kept going and going and going and going and going.

But he loves his West Coast rap. There's no doubt about that. De'anthony Melton was a lot of fun as he visited us at the Gatehouse in the Dove Talk podcast. For everybody out there, here it is. Oh man, glad to have De'anthony Melton here at the Gatehouse, man. We finally got him and he's back playing well, picked up right where he left off last season. You gave us a little tease before unfortunately tearing your ACL, but you were playing well and you, picked up, like I just mentioned, where you left off here. But I wanna, you know, just talk about how you feel with the injuries and— because I think you're a slept-on player. A lot of people saw you in Memphis, saw you in the playoffs and said, "Wow, Philadelphia came up on something when they traded for you." And then the injuries unfortunately hurt. How does it feel to be healthy now and kind of put that in the rearview mirror?

Man, I think, like you said, put it in the rearview mirror. I'm just trying to take it day by day. You know, like you said, last year, I mean, I kind of was, you know, finding my way and then kind of got injured. So I think now, like I said, just take it day by day. Just worry about my body, listen to myself, understand what I need to get because, you know, availability is the best ability. So I'm just trying to make sure I'm available out there at all costs and just, you know, do whatever it takes to make sure my body is good too.

From a distance, when you looked at the Golden State Warriors, obviously you're a West Coast kid. We'll get to that, being from LA. So I'm sure you grew up watching Warriors and Lakers and Clippers. And from afar, did you always believe this system would fit you the best? In terms of just being a two-way guy. Yeah. Obviously playing next to Stephen Curry, playing under Steve Kerr. When you watched the Warriors play, what was your takeaways from afar?

Man, it's just like the freelance, like everybody has opportunity. Like, you know what I mean? It's, it's, I tell some of these guys now, like, I mean, we playing with some of the most unselfish superstars that you can get. Like, you know what I mean? I've been around the league a little bit now. So just the different superstars and different kind of players I've been around. So I just love the opportunities that this offense can create for you, you know, and Steph is the type that he likes to get off the ball. So being able to handle and playmake and get other dudes involved, I think is very important for this offense. And I think that's what I bring to the table and, you know, high IQ stuff.

Sometimes guys, when they get traded, they're a little salty for a minute.

Yeah.

But when the Warriors traded you last year, you were like, you didn't trip.

Yeah.

Yeah.

How would you?

When you heard that, what was your thought?

I mean, honestly, like, I understand business is business. I think at the same time, like, given where my contract was, you know, the full mid-level, you know, that's a serviceable player. So you want something, somebody like that that's gonna bring, you know, provide something good for your team. So with me going down and just the dip the team took, I understood it. I kind of saw it coming. And I think talking with Mike and talking with Steve, you know, they kind of helped me with that situation too. So I had a feeling it was coming. I understood it. And, you know, just when it was, you know, on the horizon, I kind of told them like, "It's okay. I understand." Like I would, like I said, honestly, I would trade me too.

Mm-hmm.

'Cause like you want somebody that's good, that's gonna do good for your team.

Right.

You know what I mean? And, you know, I'm not playing the rest of the year. So it's something that we could re-rock, you know, later in the year or next year when it's time.

So yeah. But they also kept the door open for you.

Yes.

And did you know that then or did you just kind of vibe that? Yeah.

Yeah, no, I kind of knew. Just, you know, some of the guys checking up on me, you know, from staff to players, just seeing how I was doing, you know, see how my process was going. So I think that was, you know, very helpful for me just to see a team that cares and see players that care too. So I had a feeling and, you know, obviously the money, stuff like that. So everything worked out. I'm just happy to be back here.

What was the hardest part of rehab? Every day. I know all of it.

Every day. Honestly, it was just, I would say probably the mental side of it. Sometimes you just like, I would say the first 3 months is way different from the next, your next 3 to your next 3. You know what I mean? So I mean, now, I mean, everybody was kind of seeing me, you know, 12 months later. But yeah, I mean, just thinking about it, it was rough. It really was, you know, just going through that stuff mentally every day and just, you know, seeing how your knee will feel. Some stuff you couldn't do, some stuff you could, and just, you know, the constant, constant achiness you would go through. But I give it to the players that, you know, go through 1 or 2 of these ACLs, Achilles, MCLs, all that stuff. So I understand, and I give it to those type of players that come back and come back better and go through it and, you know, sometimes go through it again.

Yeah.

Honestly. So, so yeah.

What you think of KD coming back with the Achilles and you look at him now, it's like he's 36, 37, you know?

Exactly.

It's wild.

Exactly. Like, man, him and even Klay.

Yeah.

Just the way Klay did it. Like he came back, got hurt again, almost came back and, you know, wasn't really the same sometimes. And just, I could feel that mental aspect of it. Just like not really knowing.

Right.

'Cause you know, my first game out there, first, few stints that I had, you're just like, you know, sure, like playing against coaches and playing against, you know, some low-minute guys, it's a little different. But like now you're going against perennial All-Stars, All-NBA, like, you know what I mean? So that's just, it's just, yeah.

We need you to check Tyrese Maxey.

Did a great job on that final possession.

Yeah, I know, I know. So yeah, I was, I was, I was a lot better in the second half, but that first half I was, I was gassed. I'm like Tyrese to, to, She quit, man. To BJ, I'm like, it's so much going on. My mind, my body is just like, it was almost a shock. So I'm just happy to make it through. And I'm just happy the game, you know, it was close. Obviously we wanna win, but I'm happy to see myself out there too.

It was great to see you out there defending Tyrese Maxey. You said one of the quickest guards in the league. But take us back to your childhood, man. Growing up, obviously in Southern California. You went to USC, obviously. Growing up in a hotbed of basketball, we know all kind of stars have come from LA. James Harden still playing at a high level. Russell Westbrook up there in Sacramento and so on and so forth. Who was the guys you kind of modeled your game after growing up in down there in Southern California?

Uh, it's kind of crazy because, uh, man, I really didn't know none of them dudes like coming up. I was, I really came up football. Like I really like watched football. Like my family was big into football. My mom, my mom, my sisters, they played basketball and stuff like that. But my dad's side, it was really football and track. So coming up, I was really big into football, and it just— basketball was just— basketball was just kind of fun to me. And once I kind of got around like my 7th grade year, I kind of wanted to take basketball a little more serious. It started to become more fun. Like, games was a little bit better. Football, you get tired of putting on pads and, you know what I mean, the heat.

Your body getting sore.

Yeah, like—

What position did you play? Did you play Pop Warner?

Yeah, so I played Pop Warner. I was a QB. I was a QB most of my career, and then I moved to receiver once I started to get— Once I got to like my 6th grade year, I grew. And like, so my 7th grade year I was, it's like 5'10", which was, you know, which was solid.

Great tall. Yeah.

So what were you, were you a dual threat quarterback? Were you throwing? Were you an option?

I just went to receiver.

Oh, you just went to receiver after?

I was just like, yeah, I'm gonna stick, I'm gonna stick with this. And then I played my freshman year of high school. So my high school is dual sport at in high school. Basketball, football.

Yeah.

Yeah. So I went there originally for football, and I just told myself when I was on whatever I was on varsity for first, I was going to quit the other. So freshman year, they put me on football, uh, freshman football, and then basketball, they put me on varsity. So my sophomore year rolled around, I just, I was like, football.

So you just started playing? You weren't looking at like, no Kobys, no DeMar DeRozans, Kawhi Leonards, none of that, huh?

Nah, like once I really started getting into basketball, like, um, I really started to like Kawhi.

Okay.

Just 'cause like his defense and his ability to like play two sides of the ball. So that was my first real player I kind of like was like Kawhi Leonard. It's like, you know what I mean? So I wanted to be, um, and it's crazy. My favorite team at the time, um, was OKC.

I heard you're a Russ guy too.

Yeah.

Yeah. When they had Russ, uh, KD, Serge. All them dudes.

Robertson.

Yeah. De'anthony Melton was coming off the bench. Yeah, yeah. So like, I seen the Jeremy Lamb come through there. I seen the Victor Oladipo, like, you know what I mean? I see them dudes. So that was like the first team I kind of really like, oh, I like watching them play. But the first player I was like, Kawhi was like someone I really want to— he showed me that you can get it done at a high level on defense. And then as his offensive game started to come along, you could do it at a high level offense. And so that's what I want, ultimately wanted to be. So he's one of the players I kind of leaned on.

He's a unicorn. Usually them kids, they want to grow up with the ball in their hands and score 30 a night and jack up the streets.

Look at that defense though.

Defense.

Put the football flat up. Right.

My whole family, like, we big on defense. Like, all that scoring stuff cool, but like, can you stop somebody? Like, you know what I mean? Like, we get tired of seeing people score all day. So we more so like—

I gotta ask this then. Who was your football team growing up?

Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings?

It was not a great team when I was younger.

Right.

Oh, that's right.

The Chargers wasn't in San Diego.

There you go.

The Rams wasn't there yet. And the Raiders—

Raiders were in Oakland.

Back in Oakland.

So it was like—

and then— Pick a team.

Yeah, I was like, I didn't know who to go to. So then I just started watching, you know, scrounging around a little bit. And then I started hearing about Adrian Peterson.

Adrian Peterson, yep. And then—

At the time, I was, I had, I tried a year at running back. So then like, I watched him his last year at Oklahoma and I watched him his last year and I'm just like, yo, he's crazy.

Like, crazy.

You know what I mean? Yeah. He got drafted Minnesota and I was just like, you know what? I'm gonna stick with Minnesota. So I stuck with, I just stuck with him. And like, even after he left, I was still a Minnesota fan. I still watch, I still watch like 95% of their games. Like, yeah. Any chance I get, I watch their games. Like, I know pretty much all the players. Like, So, so yeah.

Adrian Peterson, man.

And he came off a torn ACL.

But yeah, yeah, he did.

Exactly.

But I mean, I mean, you think about some of those runs he made.

He was a bad boy.

All day.

And you heard the story. He wanted to go to USC, but his dad couldn't transfer jails. Because when his dad was in prison, he could only get Oklahoma games. So AP wanted his dad to watch every game. And so Ed Orgeron was at USC, tried to recruit Adrian Peterson. He was like, look, I'm going to talk to the mayors and everything. Get your dad transferred. Because he wanted to come out here.

He was one of them.

That's crazy.

I never knew that. I never knew that. Yeah.

You gotta go with your dad though, you know?

Yeah.

No, that's, that's hard to see.

You made the right decision.

So I, I always picture, I mean, LA, like Oakland has its own basketball lineage, you know, Gary Payton, Nate Kid, and Brian Shaw and you know, all those guys. LA though.

Yeah.

You played in the same area, era as Lonzo Ball.

Yeah.

So I'm looking at the guys who are 5-star, 4-star, 3-star, you know, and I'm like, I'm gonna throw some names at you and you tell me if you remember those guys and what you know about them. Okay? Obviously Lonzo, you know about Lonzo. For sure.

For sure.

Jonah Matthews.

Yeah, for sure. He went, he was on my, my EYBL team my senior year, my last year with Cal Supreme. And we actually went to USC together.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. So I know Jonah for sure.

You know where he is now?

He's overseas.

Yes, he is. Uh-huh. Yeah. OK. Bryce Peters. Remember him? Now, now, now, I know, I know, I know. I love the laugh. I know. Because he came to— he went to Colorado. And he was sweet.

Yeah.

And then—

Yeah.

That's— It's a name from the past.

Yeah, I'm like, I did not think you was gonna say that name. That's so crazy.

Because I'm saying it because he was one of the guys, just like Jonah, that was rated higher than you.

Yeah, and you know, it's the wildest thing. He put me out, he put me out in my open division playoffs my senior year.

Oh really?

That's why like when you said that name, I was just like—

Like, not him.

Yeah, I'm like, why you say that name? Like, he cool, we cool, but like, you're like— He really put me out, uh, open division. Uh, yeah, they beat us my senior year, and that's the year we were supposed to face, uh, Chino Hills here, okay, and all them dudes, and we lost to them first round. I was just— I had 4 fouls in the first half, and yeah, it was— yeah, that's funny that you bring that name up.

I looked at the top 10 players on the list of— I won't say which website, but that high school year Only two of them are in the NBA, you and Lonzo. Damn. I mean, like you said, you know, some got— Jonas overseas.

Yeah.

TJ Leaf overseas. Yeah. You know, Big Ike overseas. You know. Yeah. So all these dudes and remember Ryan Murphy, right?

Yeah, of course. I remember him for sure.

For sure.

For sure.

That's funny. Yeah.

He's not even playing anymore.

I know.

I know.

I know.

But he was way ahead of you.

A lot of dudes was, trust me. But I came, I came onto the scene late. Yeah, I came onto the scene and I was trying to figure it out. And you know, when I came on, I was, I was strictly defense. I was like, I was still like, I would get steals and fast breaks, jump stop just to make sure I make the layup. Like, you know what I mean? So like—

Okay.

All right. All right.

Defense first.

Yeah. Right. So I didn't really figure it out until like I would say my junior year, that's when I was kind of like, my game started to come around, my jump shot started to get there a little bit more. That's when I was like, okay, I can do something with this. And I feel like going into my senior year is when I started to catch a lot of dudes. Like, I really put the work in and, you know, a lot of dudes, they athletic and God gifted, but like, you know, IQ and stuff is, you know, is where I took a leap in. You know, I feel like some dudes really didn't.

Yeah. So you go to USC. And you leave USC. And I know the college career didn't go the way you planned on going, but you enter the NBA draft and you're a second-round pick. And I remember watching summer league, you with the Rockets. Like, who's this Melton kid? You know, because everybody's watching summer league. Board of the summer, it's Vegas, the showcase. You started balling.

Yeah.

So one, did you feel like you were ready to go to the league when you had to go to the league, or was that just a choice? You felt like you just had to make to get out of the college situation?

Uh, no, I feel like I was gonna be ready. I feel like I could've honestly went after my freshman year, but I ended my freshman year pretty bad to my standard, you know what I mean? And I wanted another chance at going for, you know, NCAA title and stuff like that. So I felt like we had a good retarded team. That was going, and I felt like going into my sophomore year and just like summer practices and all that stuff, like I was feeling so good about my game.

Right.

I was feeling so good and transitioning more to playing the point and stuff like that. And just when all that stuff happened, I mean, it just put me in a particular place. But even then I was still working out, still practicing with the team, which helped. So I knew I could be a pro. I knew I could, you know, make a stamp on the league. But it just, it just put me at a, you know, a difficult situation. Just, you know, how the league would view me with not playing and stuff like that. So, I mean, I honestly, I couldn't, I couldn't do another year. I couldn't do another year of school.

I was done.

I was like, I'm a—

Yeah.

No more essays. No more exams.

Yeah. Like I was, I couldn't do it no more.

Turn paper.

Turn paper.

Yeah.

Not a I don't blame you, man. You know, but you fall out in summer league.

Yep.

And then the business probably hit you quick because you have a good summer league for the Rockets. You're probably thinking, man, I'm balling and my name's out there. And you get traded August 31st. Take us through that as a young player in this league.

Man, I mean, I didn't sign no contract going into summer league just because, I mean, they was trying to get me on exhibit teams and like two-ways and stuff like that. And I was just like, I'm not doing that. So I had 16 workouts. So I had 16 workouts and like—

That's half the league.

Yeah, you know what I mean? So like, and I killed probably like 14 of them. I was playing some high-level ball, but what came down to was I fell second on everybody's draft boards. Oh, this dude, he played this amount of years, boom. He hasn't played in years. Who you gonna take? You know, it comes down to who you gonna take. GM than owner. So a lot of owners went with dudes they've seen the previous year, so, which I respected. Um, but yeah, like, I just went in the summer league like, gotta give it my all, like, you know what I mean? And they embraced it. Uh, they told me to shoot as much as I told me to shoot. Like, you know, around that time, Rockets were shooting 45, 53s, right? You know what I mean? So they told me just to shoot, and I was shooting 10 threes a game, and I was feeling good. Yeah. And just, yeah, money-wise it didn't work out. Like I said, they tried to get me on Exhibit 10, then they tried to get me on a two-way, then they tried to get me on a 4-year, 1-year guarantee, and I was just like, yeah, I can't do that. And then it was just like, you trade me. Like, I'll bet on myself again. Like, why not? You just trade me again. I'm not tripping.

16, 7, and 4 in that summer league, and then you get traded.

And 3 steals.

And 3 steals. Don't wanna know.

Don't let me get switched in here.

I'm all about switching defense over here. I'm the offensive guy. Obviously defensive guy. 3 steals as well. So you're getting your Kawhi Leonard on in summer league. You go to Phoenix and then all of a sudden you get your break. You get traded to Memphis and you sign a deal there. Tell us about really developing in Memphis. Cuz I know you didn't get the shots you wanted maybe in Phoenix.

Yeah.

But also you get traded to Memphis and that's where you blossom and that's where we noticed you.

Mm-hmm.

Especially in that 2022 Western Conference semifinal.

Man. Uh, just going into Memphis, um, it was just, it was just, it was a great locker room, you know what I mean? Everybody, we all got along. We all wanted to see the best for each other. And it just, at that point, it made competition just fun. So, you know, also a city like Memphis, it wasn't really too much to do. So like, you know what I mean?

Like— Oh, you know you're gonna hear that. You're gonna hear about that. Yeah, yeah.

You know they gonna clip you on that.

Yeah, like, I mean, I love Memphis. Everybody know I love Memphis, but you know, it just wasn't too much to do. But yeah. I just, I just worked. I just worked. And, uh, I think it helped that it was, you know, Tyus's first year over there. Tyus Jones, he really helped me out. John really helped me out, uh, and Dylan, he really helped me out too, just in terms of just like putting that work in, you know what I mean? Just, just feeling myself out. And, um, my rookie year I was more of a point guard, and then once I got to Memphis I got moved to the 2, which was, which is helpful for me because it helped me learn the game more and it kind of slowed me down. And then I got to learn from such a point guard in Tyus Jones. And, you know, he got— he helped me figure out how to figure out the game. So, um, yeah, he was just— man, we just had so much chemistry.

You guys are all young too. It felt like you guys were growing up together in this.

No, we was, we was. Uh, I mean, man, it seemed like so long ago, but like—

That long ago though? Yeah, 5, 6 years ago, you know.

That's long in the league.

Yeah, yeah, that's true, that's true.

So I mean, it's just, yeah, it was a fun time and I just, it was just time to, it was just time to get better and time to get in the gym.

So when you were at Memphis, you got a nickname.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Reverend Knight Stanford. You know, he played at Stanford, then he played in the league. Tell us about the nickname and how that happened.

It's crazy. I didn't even like the nickname at first.

Like Mr. Mr. Do Something.

Yeah. Like Mr. Do Something was like, I thought it meant like, go do something. Like, you're not doing nothing. Like, go do something. So I'm like, I didn't really like it at first. And then, you know, people started to— it started to catch on and boom. And, you know, somebody explained it to me more. It's like, oh, he's always doing something. I was just like, okay, like, I kind of like that.

It was positive.

Yeah, like, you know what I mean? So I kind of stuck with it, and I, I like it because, you know, it really does mean like Mr. Do-Li. I really do be doing, you know, whatever I can out there as much as I can.

Did Reverend break it down for you, or did you just I had to catch up.

I let 'em roll with it, but I had to catch on to see if I liked it at first or not.

What was it like though in that locker room though? You know, because you know, the Grizzlies in this team, they had some—

Yeah, for sure. I mean, we was young and turnt, like, you know what I mean? It was really us versus everybody else. I know everybody wanna say it now, but like, at that time, like, that's, that's really what it was. Like, we was all young, nobody really respected us, like, and we was just getting out of the Grit and Grind era. So like, they was like, oh, Grit and Grind was more physical and people scared of us. Like, now it's like the young bucks in here, it's like, we wasn't scared of nobody either. Like, so we had to go out there and prove that. And, and man, we, we held our hat on defense. Like, we held our hat on defense and just running and just having fun. So like, we just was just physical. We was just playing defense. It was just running and just like you said, we was having fun. I think that's what made teams more mad about what we had going on because we just, we was having so much fun with it.

FedEx Forum was rocking and we were on this side of it covering the teams. And I remember when you guys were talking like, hey, this is a rivalry now. And on the Warriors side of things, like, man, this isn't no rivalry yet.

That's how you respect it.

But it felt like it because the intensity intensity of those games. You guys were the 2 seed, the Warriors were the 3 seed. I remember getting hyped for that series. It was like, it's gonna be a battle. And those games, games 1 and games 2, go down to the wire. Man. And there was a lot of talk. So tell us about being on the other side of that, knowing the history of the Golden State Warriors at that point, knowing that Klay was back, they had a young up-and-coming player in Jordan Poole, Steph is Steph, Draymond's barking, you got the Dillard-Brooks dynamic. Take us through that locker room of being on the side of the things when you knew you were playing the Warriors in that playoff series.

Man, we want, we want to kill dynasty so bad. Like, you know what I mean? We just like, we just didn't— you just like, you had to show us. Like you had to come and really like show us and understand like, okay, why y'all so good? Why y'all so great? And you know, all this, this and that. We not finna just lay down and let y'all tell us why, but like we gotta come out here and get it. And we really felt like, you know, day in and day out and game in and game out, we just take it game by game that like you never know what could happen. And next thing you know, you could be up. 3-2 going into, you know what I mean, a situation or whatever it is. So yeah, we were just on a— we just err on the side of come show us, like, see who really want to play today, because we know we have— we got 10 deep that want to play. So it's like, how bad y'all want to play? Some, like, you know, some— some got families, kids, they got paid, they paid up already, like. But we was all young and hungry. It was just like, come on with it.

What'd you learn from that series?

It's hard to win. It's hard to win. Like, and at the same time, I mean, in that '22, like, you know, nobody thought the Warriors was gonna go on to win, you know what I mean? But like, it's just crazy to see like them having to go through us and, you know, that'd be one of their tougher serieses. And just, I mean, it was a little different because I knew I was gonna leave after that. But like, it just kind of showed like, okay, like, you know what I mean? We got a chance to say, and stuff like that. We had a good thing coming, uh, going.

So yeah, I'm not gonna lie, and I had this tweet out, you guys on, on the internet could find it. When they traded you, I remember Coach Swinney saying, man, I think Memphis traded the wrong wing. Because I remember watching Game 3, Game 4, Game 6 in the tunnel, and you were like this pest, man. Well, you was on Steph and Jordan Poole.

Yeah.

Like, this Melton guy, I don't know if he's getting utilized enough. When you look back at that series, do you feel like you were utilized enough and Probably not, because you're a competitor, right? Yeah.

Nah, not at all. I felt like, like you said, I just felt like I wasn't utilized enough. I felt like, you know, my impact on the series could have been a lot more. And even if it's just not from scoring, even though I was scoring the ball pretty well that series, just how I felt defensively and just how I felt about knowing the offense that we was going against. And, you know what I mean, the players I was guarding and stuff like that. I felt I was doing a great job. I felt I was doing a good job on Steph. And I thought I was doing a great job on JP. So I just, yeah, I just feel like, you know, I should have been a little extended around that time. But, you know, that's ultimately what led to the reason of me, you know, not being there also.

So before the season started, everybody was optimistic about what this team could do. And obviously there's been some bumps along the way. But talking to Jimmy maybe a week or two ago recently, And he was saying, no, we still can do this. You know, we still can do this. And I asked him why. So I'll ask you, what, what, when you look at this roster and the way you guys practice and the way you guys study and everything, what gives you confidence that this thing is going to get the way you want it to get to?

Man, when you have a Steph Curry and a Jimmy Butler, like, you just got to get them dudes there. Like, you know what I mean? Like, some dudes just really just know how to win.

Right.

And I genuinely feel like those two dudes right there. And even Draymond, like, you know what I mean? Shooting. Even Al, like, you know what I mean? Like, them dudes really know how to win. And I think that's important. Like, when you know how to win, you've got to get those type of players there. And then, I mean, Jimmy did it, has done it by himself. Steph has done it by himself. And Al's contributed a lot to the Celtics' success. So getting them dudes there, and I think they was around the same point last year, and they, they should have been going to the West Conference Finals, you know what I mean? So that type of stuff is just, you know, positivity you take on.

So what do you think of beating a team like Cleveland without—

Man.

What did it mean for this roster to go into Cleveland? 'Cause Cleveland, you know, they're a pretty good defensive team.

Mm-hmm. Exactly.

And they've been kicking the Warriors' butt for a couple of years now. Every time you see the Warriors, they knock 'em down.

Mm-hmm.

To win that game without your big dogs, what did it mean for you guys?

I mean, it's important. I mean, I tell everybody every time, like, When you go out there, man, it's for your livelihood too. It's for your family too. So, you know, go out there, be aggressive, play your game, and just, you know, whatever happens happens. So sometimes, you know, shoot, I made my career off of, you know, when the stars go down, it's time to shine. You know what I mean? So that, like, that's, you gotta have that effect too. You gotta, everybody pros.

Mm-hmm.

And the same way I was talking about how we felt in Memphis, like, it's like, let's see who really wanna play today. And, you know, that time, like, we was hungrier than them that night. And, you know, it definitely carried over.

But watching these young dogs go out there and do that, you know, Pat and, you know, I mean—

Key Santos.

Yeah. I mean—

It's encouraging. Like, you see young dudes know how to win. That's the most important thing, because you don't want to get wrapped up in, you know, they just worry about stats and stuff like that, and they worry about social media. So—

That's too bad, too. Yeah.

Like— It's a new, I mean, it's a new era we in though, but just, you know, that was really encouraging. I'm excited for them dudes. I love to see people who—

I had the last one for you. I got one more for you. You grew up watching OKC, obviously. So you probably remember when the Warriors and OKC met up in the Western Conference Finals. Why you shake your head like that? I still, I tell money to this day, I still don't know how the Warriors won that series.

That's a great series, man.

Game 6, Klay obviously and Steph doing his thing, but that was a battle. That to me is like, it's not just one of my favorite series with this core, but like my entire life of watching the NBA is one of my favorite series all time.

Yeah.

But now that you're playing with Steph and he's still doing it at this age, at this level, what do you, what do you say to yourself, man? Do you tell your family like, man, this dude, he's, I had to go against him and I didn't understand it. Now that you're practicing, you see him.

He's amazing. Like that's all you can say sometimes. Like Some dudes like that, like, they continue to put the work in and they love the game so much that you see him day in and day out. Like, from now, before I was seeing him on the outside looking in, now I'm on the inside, you know what I mean? So it's like, now just seeing the work he puts in, the everyday work, the consistency that he has, it's like, okay, you could see as to why he's continued on what he's continued on. And his ability to shoot the ball is just obviously out of this world, but his ability just to, be conditioned and run around his physicality and just be able to still be able to get open, get a shot off and stuff like that. And me, I was in— I'm pretty much 30 now, like, you know what I mean? I'm 30-something years old. So like, just, you just gotta admire that type of stuff and just try to help out as much as possible.

Outside looking in, what was the perception then? Did you think it was like, come on, man, he's just shooting the ball, he's just running around?

Yeah, like, you just like, he just conditioned, he could shoot, but like, you don't, you know, you didn't, I don't know. I don't know. Cause you don't think like, it's just like at this high of a level to, it's been so many years. And like, I, I talk to GP still now to this day. Like, I don't know how y'all won in '22. I have to be honest with you. I don't, I don't, I don't know why, how, or for what.

Well, watch Steph in game 4.

Yeah. Like, you know what I mean? But stuff like that. But like '22, they had no business winning the championship. They had no business. Like, you know, there was so many teams better than them.. But they just, they just fought. They just willed their way and everybody played. They played their role.

In that series against Boston, you could, what I noticed, and I think others noticed it too, is that in the finals, the Warriors knew how to play in the finals.

Exactly.

And the Celtics weren't ready to do that yet. You know, I think that's what it was. It's like at some point in that series you saw it like, uh-oh.

And they were up 2-1. Remember that?

Yeah.

Game 4.

And when, and so when the Warriors won game 4, you could see, okay, they know what this is about. The Celtics are learning what this is about. It's a little bit different, you know.

And that's what goes back to my point when it's just like sometimes you gotta get them dudes there. Like Steph, Jimmy, Dre, like they just know how, they like, they've been there.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? And they know how to win. I mean, a decent amount of dudes on this roster now, you know, this was still on that '22 team. So that's important. Like having guys that been there and felt that moment and been through it, I mean, just gotta take 'em there.

I got one more for you though. It's not basketball either, it's my music.

Okay.

It's always a debate, but top 5 rappers. Okay, now, or should I say top 4 after K-Dot?

I mean, I'm on Instagram.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I like that, there we go.

It might be top 5 LA, who knows?

Yeah, yeah, I'm just, who are your 5 favorites?

My 5 favorites? All time? I'm gonna put Kendrick 1, of course. I'm gonna put YoungBoy 2.

Okay.

I'm gonna put— I'm gonna put Tupac. Nah, nah, nah. No!

Wait a minute. You in the Bay now.

I know.

That's what I'm like.

I'm gonna put Lil Wayne in there.

I'm gonna put Lil Wayne.

Lil Wayne had a hell of a run.

Yeah.

And I'm gonna put Future in there. And then I love old Kanye.

Old Kanye.

Old Kanye. You know what I mean?

Old Kanye was the best drive yet.

I love old Kanye. And then honestly, I gotta go 6, 'cause 6 is just any LA artist. You know what I mean? I love West Coast music. So you put, man, you put Mozzy, you put Dino.

Nipsey.

You put Nipsey in there. You could put Dom Kennedy.

Yeah. Oh, man.

Staples, KC Veggiez, you know. My sister love Larry June.

I was gonna ask you about, did you, 'cause Larry June, the city kid. City guy.

I haven't really got into Larry June, but my sister love Larry June. So like, she listen to him a lot. Oh, and Blast. I forgot about Blast. Kalen, for real, for real, doing it up.

It's top 5.

Man, like I'm saying, I just gotta keep going.

Shuffling the audio. Yeah, I gotta keep shuffling on. —any other Bay music? E-40, he's an OG here. We all know E-40.

That's my mom's favorite artist.

Oh! E-40's my mom's favorite.

Oh, he's gonna love that.

For some reason, my mom love— I love—

Come on now.

But I'm just saying, it's not like that, but it's like, out of all—

Out of all the rappers here.

Them.

253, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. She— E-40 is her favorite.

E-40's a vet.

He's a vet, man. He's the uncle. Yeah, true.

We grew up listening to him, man, and now he's at every Warrior game, courtside.

Loving the dubs. Seeing him is crazy. But yeah, I mean, shout out to all the West Coast rappers. There you go. West Coast guy. Yeah, I got you.

Shout out to all the dudes.

We love it, man.

We love it. De'anthony, man, this was a lot of fun, nigga.

Yeah, yeah.

Dub Nation loves you. You only played 8 games in a Warriors uniform so far. And they love you. They couldn't wait for you to come back.

Yeah, man.

And then, like we mentioned at the top, you've picked up right where you left off when you had that great game against the Mavericks last season, man. So continue health. Man, thank you. We hope you stay healthy, man, because it's a joy to watch you play.

No doubt. Thank you.

Absolutely. De'anthony Melton, everybody.