Warriors lose new starting guard to sprained ACL

De’Anthony Melton will miss Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a concerning injury to his knee

Just when Steve Kerr settled on a starting lineup for the Golden State Warriors, another injury has put those lineups in flux.

De’Anthony Melton has a sprained ACL in his left knee. If you shuddered at reading “ACL,” you’re not alone. Those are three of the most worrisome letters an NBA fan can see, along with “MCL,” “JVG,” and “CP3” (yes, 3 is not a letter). For now, Melton will miss Friday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies in the all- not-very-important Emirates Cup.

It’s different from a torn ACL mainly in severity. A sprain is a tiny tear, so the Warriors will be running tests to see if this is a knee problem that will heal with rest or treatment or something more serious that might require surgery.

It’s not clear when Melton got injured, as he was in the starting and closing lineups for Golden State in their 120-117 win over the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday. Melton scored 14 points and racked up four assists and four rebounds, including the final one of the game after Luka Doncic missed a potential game-tying three-pointer. For the season, he’s averaging 10.3 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals, while shooting 37.1% from three-point range.

The injury means another starting lineup decision for Kerr, who had been choosing his starting lineups based heavily on the Warriors’ opponents, before settling on Melton last week. The Grizzlies, even without Ja Morant and Desmond Bane for most of the season, are the NBA’s No. 7 offense and No. 4 defense, getting by on strong rebounding a shot-blocking, led by Jaren Jackson, Jr.

The Grizzlies have been starting two seven-footers, Santi Aldama and Jay Huff, alongside Jackson, plus 6-foor-8 guard Jaylen Wells, so this might be a spot for Jonathan Kuminga to rejoin the starters. The Warriors also might go with Moses Moody, who has started four games already this season, though the Grizzlies’ size likely means Gary Payton II is more of a bench option.

Golden State hopes to get Kyle “Slow Mo” Anderson back to face his former team, after he did not dress for Tuesday’s game due to back spasms. But it should be an interesting Emirates Cup battle for two teams that have gone deeper into their bench rotations than any team in the league this season, due to injuries, talented rosters, and accidentally discovering how good Lindy Waters is.

The Warriors and Grizzlies tip off at 7:00 Friday on ESPN. Prayers up for Melton’s ligaments.