NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers received a taste of what new addition De’Anthony Melton could do on the defensive end on Monday when they walked away with a 127-108 preseason win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Melton did not have a good offensive game. He shot just 2-for-10 and 1-for-7 from deep, but his effort on the defensive end was felt. He is a better offensive player than what he showed on Monday, so fans should not worry about that.
On the defensive end, he came up with three steals and a few deflections. He hounded Nets star Kyrie Irving in his minutes against him, and that is what Philadelphia will hang its hat on.
After the win, Melton explained what goes into his defensive success on the perimeter.
“A good part of it is instincts,” said Melton. “Just knowing the play and what’s going on on the court, but off it, it’s just reading body language. Understanding what players like to do. Being in this league, this is now my fifth year, understanding where players like to go and doing stuff like that definitely helps.”
While Melton will not be a starter, the defensive stud out of USC is going to make a big impact for Philadelphia in whatever role he plays. When the Sixers go with the Melton-Tyrese Maxey lineups, there can be success on both ends as shown in Monday’s win when they outscored Brooklyn, 42-26, in the opening quarter despite the Big 3 playing for the Nets.
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