Memphis Grizzlies: De’Anthony Melton flashes potential in win vs. Miami Heat

The Memphis Grizzlies did not draft De’Anthony Melton. In fact, just a couple of years ago, the young guard was playing for the Northern Arizona Suns, the Phoenix Suns’ G-League affiliate.

He was drafted with the Suns 46th overall pick and looked like another second round pick who would never make a huge difference in the league. There simply wasn’t space on the Suns roster for him.

Fast forward a couple of years and he’s in the NBA winning games for the Memphis Grizzlies.

In a game where Ja Morant, Jonas Valanciunas and Dillon Brooks all failed to show up, “Mr. Do Something” did something. He’s making plays for the Grizzlies and doing more than anybody expected thus far.

The Memphis Grizzlies showed love to De’Anthony Melton with a 4-year contract

We would learn just how much the Grizzlies loved Melton when they handed him a 4-year, $34 million contract in the offseason.

It was rightfully earned and he has fit in perfectly with this team thus far. In fact, he has improved drastically from season to season and his minutes haven’t even increased significantly.

The best part of his game is his defensive energy. When he’s out on the floor, he’s never slacking on defense. We saw this at the end of Wednesday night’s game against the heat when the young guard had a clutch steal with under a minute left.

It was nothing new, as he gets more steals per 100 possessions than any other player in the NBA.

He would then be fouled on the ensuing possession, knocking down both free throws and giving Memphis a lead. Make no mistake, the Grizzlies very well could have lost this game without Melton.

He may not be the greatest athlete or the most lethal shooter, but the spirit that he brings to the court is unmatched by anybody on this team. He’s a pleasure to watch night in and night out.

Speaking of his shooting though, the 3-pointer is an area that he has surprised just about everybody in. After shooting under 30% in his first year with the Grizzlies, he has raised that number to over 40%. He went from a poor shooter to a high-level shooter in under a year.

But he’s not just stealing the ball and shooting the ball. He’s been excellent on every part of the court.

In Wednesday night’s game, Melton filled the stat sheet, flirting with a triple-double in the process. He finished the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.

You could say that he did more than just “something” against the Miami Heat.

He would cap it all off with a +/- of +20, the highest in the game. His impact was felt all over the floor and he did it in just 23 minutes on the court.

It was the most complete game from a Grizzlies player since Kyle Anderson‘s 25 point, 5 rebound, 5 assist, 5 steal game a month ago. If we can continue to see this production out of Melton, he might sneak his way into the starting lineup.