Age: 20

Position: Guard

College: USC

Measurables

Height w/o Shoes: 6’2.25”

Height w/ Shoes: 6’3.25”

Weight: 193

Wingspan: 6’8.5”

Standing Reach: 8’3.5”

Max Vertical: 36.5”

College Statistics (2016/2017) *Suspended the Entire 2017/2018 Season*

MPG: 27.0

PPG: 8.3

RPG: 4.7

ASTPG: 3.5

BLKPG: 1.0

FT%: 70.6%

2-PT FG%: 51.0%

3-PT FG%: 28.4%

Comparisons: Marcus Smart, Shaun Livingston

3 Things to Know

1. Brings a lot of defensive versatility to the floor
2. Excellent rebounding instincts and technique for his position
3. Hasn’t played since the 2016/2017 NCAA season

Strengths

• Always engaged on defense and never takes a play off
• Shown good lateral quickness while defending on the perimeter
• Uses his 6’8.5” wingspan to wreak havoc off the ball through deflections, blocks
• Shown a nose for the ball in rebounding by tracking it, using good box out technique, and securing it.
• Can finish with both hands around the rim in traffic against length

Weaknesses

• Inconsistent shooter and needs to fix some mechanical issues
• Needs to bulk up and continue to build frame to unleash his potential
• Decent ball handling skills
• Average handles limit his ability to create his own shot
• The FBI investigation into USC caused Melton to sit out his entire sophomore season

Summary

De’Anthony Melton might be the most interesting and mysterious prospect in the 2017 draft class. Melton was a 4-star recruit out of Encino, California who chose to play under Andy Enfield at USC in the class of 2016. After Melton’s freshman year, he was dubbed by some as a “swiss army knife” because he has so many tools like as a distributor, 3.5 APG, a rebounder, 4.7 RPG, and even a scorer, 8.5 PPG. He was ready to play a big role on a Trojan team that was ranked #10 in the preseason 2017/2018 NCAA basketball rankings. But then the FBI investigation came and suspended Melton for the first half of the season until determining he couldn’t play at all. Melton had already created draft buzz thanks to his freshman season, but a lost sophomore season prompted him to enter this year’s draft, even without playing the entire year. His scouting report shows that he has a lot to offer on the defensive end of the floor. On the ball, he’s shown good lateral quickness when guarding and his long arms help create problems. Off the ball, he uses his 6’8.5” wingspan to create deflections in gap situations and the ability to jump to the ball and generate blocks when helping at the rim, 1.0 BLKPG his freshman year. When rebounding, Melton has great instincts and a nose for the ball as he’s able to track it down and use good box out technique. He’ll need to add to his 193 lb frame in order to keep up with bigger NBA players. On offense, Melton needs to work on consistency with his shooting mechanics as he only shot 29.6% in spot-up situations. Currently, Melton is also only an average ball handler, and if he’s able to improve and tighten his handles he’ll have an easier time creating space and shots for himself. Melton is a mystery in this draft class due to the fact that he didn’t play at all last year, but he’s raw and moldable enough that any NBA team would take a chance on him, especially for his defensive potential. Look for Melton to be selected during the early second round on draft night.

Locke’s Take

So who are you now De’Anthony?  This is a player whose workouts have to carry a lot of weight since he didn’t play this last season.  He is 6’3 with a 6’8.5 wingspan.  That is the scrpit for a great defensive player.  He was a very poor offensive player as a freshman.  He was a poor shooter on catch and shoot and off the bounce.   Did he get better with an season off to just work on his shot.  He wasn’t great around the rim or in isolation at USC his freshman year so there are not signs of elite athleticism.  With all of this said the composition of a very nice player is here with Melton.  He has great physical tools and super measurements.  He has a great motor.   If he figures out how to be an offensive player he becomes a really nice player.  If he doesn’t he can still play 15 to 20 minutes a night as a defensive force.