Dub Hub: Steve Kerr praises De’Anthony Melton’s fit starting alongside Steph Curry

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Monday, October 7th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Steve Kerr praises De’Anthony Melton, saying he’s a “big fan” of his fit starting alongside Steph Curry in the back court following the Warriors 91-90 victory over the Clippers.
• The Athletic’s Anthony Slater highlights five observations from Saturday’s game, including Moses Moody’s spot in the Warriors’ rotation.
• LeBron James and his son Bronny share the court as a father-son duo for the first time in NBA history.

The Golden State Warriors tipped off their preseason with a thrilling 91-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. While the game-winner by Lindy Waters III had the whole team hyped, head coach Steve Kerr was quick to highlight new addition De’Anthony Melton’s impressive performance alongside Stephen Curry in the starting backcourt.

“They look great together,” Kerr said of the Curry-Melton duo. “I know Steph didn’t shoot well, but they look for each other. De’Anthony’s a really good shooter, but also a playmaker and gets in the mix on everything defensively. I’m a really big fan of De’Anthony and I really like the depth of our roster.”

Melton logged 12 minutes in Saturday’s game, tallying eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also added a steal, an assist, and two rebounds.

The starting shooting guard spot has been one of the biggest question marks for the Warriors entering training camp, however, Melton’s defensive prowess and natural fit alongside Curry on offense seems to have given him the lead for the job on opening night.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, October 7th:

Warriors News:

Podziemski-Melton bond perfectly portrays new Warriors vibe | NBC Sports Bay Area

Whether it has been as a member of the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies or Philadelphia 76ers, Melton has chased Curry plenty of times around the court. Players and coaches also have let it be known to Melton they think he should have been on the floor more for the Grizzlies against the Warriors in the 2022 playoffs, an act of admiration he kindly smiles at and accepts without offering any shade at one of his old teams.

Now that he and Curry are on the same side, he had to remember what a different feeling it is having him as a teammate.

“You don’t understand his movement until you’re on the court,” Melton explained. “One time he threw the ball and I’m on the weak side and he comes flying off and I’m just like, ‘Oh, I forgot!’ you know what I mean. It’s stuff like that where you got to stay engaged.

“I think with this offense, everybody is engaged and that’s what I love about it.”

Why TJD believes Warriors’ small-ball lineup provides advantage | NBC Sports Bay Area

The same consensus feeling is being heard around the basketball world once again: The Warriors are too small.

Center Trayce Jackson-Davis heard the noise last season as a rookie, too, but he wasn’t bothered by it then and he isn’t giving any thought to it now.

“It is what it is,” Jackson-Davis said in an exclusive “Dubs Talk” interview that will be released Saturday night. “I feel like you can say that about us, but at the end of the day I’m pretty sure we led the league in rebounds last year. Being small you also have an advantage because that means you get to play fast and that’s something that coach Kerr is really putting an emphasis on – transition.

“He said if we can get our transition down on both ends of the floor, we’re going to be a really, really good team.”

Five Warriors observations: Lindy Waters III hits game winner to beat Clippers | The Athletic

Kerr took all five starters out seven minutes into the game, replacing them with this second unit: Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney.

That meant, in this initial preseason peek, Moses Moody opened as the 11th man despite Klay Thompson’s departure and Wiggins’ absence. No matter how the picture changes, Moody can’t seem to grab a definite rotation spot.

But Moody did what he often does, producing when finally given the opportunity. In an extended second-quarter stint, he had a back cut for a layup, two quick-release 3s, a block and a steal. He was a team-high plus-11 in eight first-half minutes. The buzz out of training camp was how well Moody had been playing — and scoring — all week in Hawaii.

Steve Kerr shares his thoughts on the starting lineup vs. the Clippers

Jonathan Kuminga turned 22 years old on Sunday

NBA News:

Karl-Anthony Towns has 10 points in preseason debut with Knicks | ESPN

Towns had 10 points on 2-for-7 shooting and four rebounds in 15 minutes during his preseason debut with his new team Sunday night as the Knicks held on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 111-109. Brunson tallied 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting and three assists.

Both played only the first half, which ended in a 61-61 tie.

“I know their talents, so it’s a matter of playing with them,” Towns said. “Finally getting to put a Knicks jersey on and playing 5-on-5, that was really cool.”

As Brunson added, “It’s definitely going to take time, but when people are willing to do what it takes to win, it’s going to flow at some point. We’re talking consistently, we’re on the same page and we’re excited to be teammates.”

Kawhi Leonard on the Clipper’s new additions: “Nobody has stood out to me so far”

LeBron and Bronny James share the court as a father-son duo for the first time

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Lindy Waters III beats the buzzer and the Clippers

Golden State had the ball, down two, with about 10 seconds left, inbounding from their own sideline. On two straight inbounds plays, they attempted to get the ball to Waters, who had been lights out from three-point range. Both times the Clippers deflected the inbounds pass from Gui Santos, forcing the Dubs to try again. On the third attempt, Santos inbounded the ball to Reece Beekman, who went isolation, got a mid-range jumper, and missed. The ball pinballed out of bounds, leaving the Warriors just 1.6 seconds on the clock for a fourth inbounds attempt.

This time it worked. They got the ball to Waters — who led the team with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting (all three-point attempts) — and he rose up for a buzzer-beater that will hopefully set the tone for the season.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.