The 2022-23 season is still roughly two months away, but the Philadelphia 76ers have made a few solid additions to their roster to improve the depth around Joel Embiid and James Harden.
One of those additions was a draft night trade to acquire De’Anthony Melton from the Memphis Grizzlies. The 4-year guard out of USC is expected to provide some good production on both ends of the floor as he is a solid perimeter defender and he can also knock down an open triple which is critical on this Sixers team.
He averaged 10.8 points per game in the 2021-22 season with the Grizzlies and therefore, he might be a bit underrated. A list of the underrated players on every team put together by Bleacher Report has identified Melton as the underrated player for the Sixers:
On offense, he can create shots for himself and teammates, splash open ones from distance and, if the runway is clear, finish at the basket. On defense, the 6’2″ guard uses his near-6’9″ wingspan, instincts and motor to play bigger than his size and cause all kinds of havoc. His teams have always played better with him than without at an average of 4.4 points per 100 possessions for his career.
Melton will bring a lot of value to the Sixers as somebody who can provide two-way play. The Sixers have been in need of somebody who can give play on either side and Philadelphia got themselves a nice player on draft night to add to their chase for a title.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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