3 most surprising Memphis Grizzlies so far in 2021

Surprising Player No. 2: Memphis Grizzlies SG De’Anthony Melton

This slide would have looked a lot better early yesterday when De’Anthony Melton was coming off of two consecutive 20+ point games to kick off the year. The Grizzly guard was thriving in his new role in the starting lineup in the absence of Dillon Brooks.

But like comes at you fast, especially in the NBA.

Against the Lakers, Melton had his worst game of the season. Heck, the argument could be made that it was his worst game of all time in a Grizzly uniform on Sunday night. That said, the fact that it was his worst game thus far for the Grizzlies speaks volumes about what Melton is capable of.

While Taylor Jenkins’ experiment having Melton at the point guard spot was a swing and a miss, Mr. Do Something was still able to make an impact on the floor. Melton had three steals on the night and went 3-5 from three-point range. His 13 points and three turnovers don’t look great, but again, if this was his worst game in a Grizzly uniform, that’s a great sign.

On the year, Melton is averaging 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and a steal per game. So far, he had knocked down 57.9% of his three-point shots on a high volume of attempts. He’s proving that his deep-range deadeye season last year was not a fluke.

Hopefully, his hot year continues.