NBA

Warriors’ De’Anthony Melton Not Close To Returning From ACL Injury

Golden State Warriors De'Anthony Melton Not Close To Returning From ACL Injury

Golden State Warriors veteran forward De’Anthony Melton is reportedly still far off from returning to the court and making his 2025-26 season debut, according to head coach Steve Kerr.

De’Anthony Melton Suffered Left ACL Tear Last November

Melton remains sidelined as he continues to rehab from the left ACL tear he suffered on Nov. 12, 2024. The 27-year-old appeared in just six games with the Warriors last season.

In those six games (two starts), Melton averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 40.7% from the field, 37.1% from 3-point territory, and 62.5% at the foul line.

Melton is still traveling with the team, but he’s not ready to start his eighth NBA campaign.

“Melton is with us on the trip and really putting in the work, starting to scrimmage and that kind of stuff,” Kerr said Tuesday on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs.”

“But he’s not very close because, as you know, he missed all of last year pretty much. So he needs to really do a lot of on-court scrimmaging and rhythm work.

“The good news is he’s getting healthier and stronger every day, and he’s definitely going to play a part of the season coming up. We just don’t have an exact date yet.”

Melton Could Return In December

Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Kerr said in early October that Melton would “hopefully be ready sometime in the next couple months,” meaning the former second-rounder will now likely not return until December at the latest.

Golden State traded Melton to the Brooklyn Nets last December. He returned to the Warriors over the summer on a two-year, $6.5 million deal. His contract includes a second-year player option and a trade restriction.

The USC product also missed a significant portion of the 2023-24 season due to a back injury and has appeared in just 14 regular-season and playoff games since January 2024.

As for the Warriors, they’re currently 9-6 and rank seventh in the Western Conference standings. The team continues its six-game road trip on Tuesday at Orlando.