December 8, 2024

How Did De’Anthony Melton Look in His Return vs. Cavaliers?

On Friday, De’Anthony Melton made his return to the court, how’d he look?

On Friday night, the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they looked to bounce back off of a tough loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday.

The Sixers could face off against a muffled Cleveland lineup, as JB Bickerstaff was without his leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who was out due to an illness.

Nick Nurse’s side would take advantage of having their second leading scorer healthy, as Tyrese Maxey would help lift his team above the Eastern Conference contenders, dropping 24 point on 40 percent shooting.

Cameron Payne made his presence felt off the bench, as the eight-year veteran would go on to score 16 points.

While Philadelphia returned to their winning way, it wasn’t the only return as De’Anthony Melton made his way back onto the court, ending his 18 game stint on the bench.

The 25-year-old has been out due to a stress response in his lower spine.

Melton came into the match off the bench, as Buddy Hield took his spot in the starting lineup, checking in with around five minutes left in the first quarter.

Despite his long absence, it appears that Melton’s shooting form hasn’t gone away, as he drained a shot from beyond the arch off of an assist from Mo Bamba.

Granted, his efficiency from the field would start to drop off as the night went on, as he ended his return with seven points on 33 percent shooting.

There is an argument to be made that Melton’s value doesn’t lie within his offensive capabilities, but rather he work on the defensive end, having recorded 14 games with two or more steals going into Friday night.

De'Anthony Melton's return adds to Sixers' 'limitless' options for new-look  backcourt

This skill wouldn’t be on display against the Cavaliers as the 25-year-old failed to record a steal.

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