“He’s a two-way player, which I love the ability to connect multiple lineups.” Adding De’Anthony Melton to the squad, Steve Kerr has found a versatile player who can be utilized in several ways. And he did exactly that in the first four preseason games, which has led to the Warriors remaining undefeated so far. But as they prepare to face the Lakers tonight, they will not have the luxury to utilize Melton’s diverse skillset because he has been ruled out of the game. And Kerr is going with a bold lineup because of it.

As per the latest injury report, De’Anthony Melton is dealing with mid-back tightness and will remain out of action tonight. Well, the symptoms occurred this morning, and Steve Kerr revealed that they are being “careful” with their approach.

Moreover, giving him a rest day does not seem like a bad idea because Melton has played in all four games so far, and that too in different roles. While he was a starting guard in the first and most recent games, he came off the bench in the other two. Despite the changes, Melton has been consistently productive and has scored a combined 36 points in four appearances. And he played his best game against the Kings, where he scored 16 points off the bench and shot 4 of 9 from the three-point line.

More importantly, Kerr has been highly impressed with the Steph-Melton duo in the starting lineup as he said after the first game, “They look great together. 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.”

But with him unavailable tonight, Kerr is going with a new approach in his starting lineup. And that includes Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Warriors’ injury woes could be the reason behind their Big Lineup

Well, everyone is used to seeing the Warriors play small ball and rely heavily on their three-point shooting. Sure enough, it was easy to do when they had the Splash Brothers running the show. But that’s not the case anymore. Obviously, Stephen Curry will continue to do his thing every game. But apart from him, their starting lineup for tonight does not have any elite shooter. Yes, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green can shoot the occasional threes but nowhere close to what the fans are used to seeing from the team.

Surely, De’Anthony Melton or Brandin Podziemski would have been a much better option at the guard position. However, Melton is out with a back issue while the youngster suffered a broken nose during the last game, which is likely to put him out of action for some time. So, this might be the perfect time for Steve Kerr to experiment with the rotation. And tonight’s game could be ‘the opportunity’ for Wiggins to shine and finally live up to Kerr’s expectations, as the HC said earlier, “He’s at the age where he’s right in his physical prime, and we’ve seen him do it. He helped us win a championship. I’m expecting a big year from Wiggs.”

While he has not been in great form in recent years, Wiggs played a pivotal role in the team’s title run two years ago. And the head coach expects him to play at that level once again. Do you think Kerr’s big lineup can help the Warriors continue their winning streak?

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.