De'Anthony Melton

In considering both the breakup of their longtime, Hall of Fame-bound backcourt tandem, and their 14-man lineup rotation on Opening Night, understanding the full picture of the 2024-25 Golden State Warriors’ plans might’ve required some patience. Yet, in drawing in multiple Portland Trail Blazers defenders on the same possession, De’Anthony Melton made it quite clear, the types of pictures — or better yet, posters — he plans to help create. Calm and collected upon considering his next decision with a pair of red jerseys monitoring his whereabouts during a halfcourt trap, Melton quarterbacks the scene, briefly engaging before dishing to a nearby teammate. Finding déjà vu just seconds later, this time with the veteran guard in a downhill attack, Melton commands their investment once more before zipping an alley-oop jam to a highflying teammate. Melton’s poise arrived gracefully through an 11-point, two-rebound, four-assist, two-triple performance, impacting a 36-point win to open the season on October 23, 2024.